CaribPR Wire

CARIBPR WIRE, BRUSSELS, Belgium, July 13, 2023: In response to two World Health Organization (WHO) evaluations of aspartame, one of the most thoroughly researched ingredients in the world, released today, the International Sweeteners Association (ISA) applauds the WHO’s reaffirmation of aspartame’s safety by its leading scientific body responsible for evaluating the safety of food additives, the Joint FAO/WHO Expert Committee on Food Additives (JECFA). These conclusions are consistent with the findings of over 90 global food safety agencies who have confirmed aspartame’s safety, including the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA), that has reviewed aspartame twice, and the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

“JECFA has once again reaffirmed aspartame’s safety after conducting a thorough, comprehensive and scientifically rigorous review” said ISA Secretary General Frances Hunt-Wood. “Aspartame, like all low/no calorie sweeteners, when used as part of a balanced diet, provides consumers with choice to reduce sugar intake, a critical public health objective.”

As part of its comprehensive assessment, reconfirming the safety of aspartame, JECFA examined IARC’s conclusions and found no concern for human health. Importantly, IARC is not a food safety body and its 2B classification does not consider intake levels nor actual risk, making an IARC review far less comprehensive than the thorough reviews conducted by food safety bodies like JECFA and potentially confusing for consumers.

To put this in context, IARC’s 2B classification puts aspartame in the same category as kimchi and other pickled vegetables. IARC would be the first to say that they don’t suggest people should stop using kimchi at meals.

As part of an overall healthy diet and lifestyle, aspartame can be used to further public health objectives on sugar intake reduction and ultimately assist in weight and diabetes management, as well as with dental health.

ENDS

RESPUESTA A LAS REVISIONES DEL ASPARTAMO DE LA ORGANIZACIÓN MUNDIAL DE LA SALUD

CARIBPR WIRE, BRUSELAS, July 13, 2023: En respuesta a las dos evaluaciones del aspartamo, uno de los ingredientes más exhaustivamente estudiados del mundo, por parte de la Organización Mundial de la Salud (OMS) publicadas hoy, la Asociación Internacional de Edulcorantes (ISA) aplaude la reafirmación de la OMS sobre la seguridad del aspartamo por parte de su destacado organismo científico responsable de evaluar la seguridad de los aditivos alimentarios, el Comité Mixto de Expertos en Aditivos Alimentarios (JECFA) de la FAO/OMS. Estas conclusiones son coherentes con las conclusiones de más de 90 agencias de seguridad alimentaria de todo el mundo que han confirmado la seguridad del aspartamo, incluidas la Autoridad Europea de Seguridad Alimentaria (EFSA), que ha revisado el aspartamo dos veces, y la Administración de Alimentos y Medicamentos de Estados Unidos (FDA).

“El JECFA ha vuelto a reafirmar la seguridad del aspartamo después de llevar a cabo una revisión exhaustiva, completa y científicamente rigurosa”, afirma la Secretaria General de la ISA, Frances Hunt-Wood. “El aspartamo, como todos los edulcorantes bajos en calorías/sin calorías, si se usa como parte de una dieta equilibrada, ofrece a los consumidores la posibilidad de reducir la ingesta de azúcares, un objetivo fundamental de salud pública”.

Como parte de su completa evaluación, que reconfirma la seguridad del aspartamo, el JECFA examinó las conclusiones de la Agencia Internacional para la Investigación del Cáncer (IARC) y no ha encontrado ningún motivo de preocupación para la salud humana. Es importante destacar que la IARC no es un organismo de seguridad alimentaria, y que su clasificación 2B no toma en cuenta los niveles de ingesta ni el riesgo real, lo que hace que la revisión de la IARC sea bastante menos completa que las exhaustivas revisiones realizadas por organismos de seguridad alimentaria como el JECFA, y que pueda confundir a los consumidores.

Para poner esto en contexto, la clasificación 2B de la IARC sitúa al aspartamo en la misma categoría que el kimchi y otros vegetales encurtidos. La IARC debería ser la primera en aclarar que no está sugiriendo que la gente deba dejar de tomar kimchi en las comidas.

Como parte de una dieta y un estilo de vida general saludables, el aspartamo puede ser útil para promover los objetivos de salud pública de reducción de la ingesta de azúcares y, en definitiva, ayudar en el control del peso y el tratamiento de la diabetes, así como con la salud bucodental.

FIN

WORLD HEPATITIS DAY, JULY 28th

The Hepatitis C is a chronic illness, most commonly transmitted through blood-to-blood contact and it is 5 times more disseminated than the HIV infection.

Is a silent illness considered by the World Health Organization as a “viral bomb”. Approximately 70% – 80% of the people with the illness do not know about it, due to the fact that symptoms present in advanced stages of the illness.

New treatment is now available in Trinidad, an innovative therapy that increases the possibility of cure from this illness up to 80% in patients infected by the Hepatitis C virus, genotype 1.

PORT OF SPAIN, Trinidad and Tobago, July 25, 2014 /PRNewswire/ – The Chemistry, Food & Drugs Division of the Trinidad & Tobago Ministry of Health approved the introduction of Telaprevir to the market, an innovative therapy that significantly increases the cure rate from Hepatitis C, and it is indicated for patients infected with the genotype 1 virus. Telaprevir is available in Trinidad under the trade brand INCIVO®.

Photo – http://www2.prnewswire.com.br/imgs/pub/2014-07-25/original/2026.jpg

Clinical studies show that the regimen of the treatment based in Telaprevir together with pegylated interferon + ribavirin increases the percentage of patients that get cured in up to 80% of the cases, significantly superior to the efficacy rates observed with the conventional treatment with dual therapy, available today.

Furthermore, triple therapy with the inclusion of Telaprevir avoids the progression of the illness, the need of a liver transplant, and the prevalence of long term complications, such as hepatic cirrhosis, liver cancer, and even death.

Hepatitis C is one of the most prevalent illnesses throughout the world. It affects around 170 million people[1]. In its chronic phase, it is considered by the World Health Organization, as a “viral bomb”, and it may have severe consequences on the patients and the public health systems.[2]

Approximately 70% – 80% of the people with the illness do not know about it, due to the fact that symptoms present in advanced stages of the illness. Reason why it is extremely important to maximize the early diagnosis with new therapies which increase the possibility of getting cured.

Clinical manifestations of the infection by the Hepatitis C virus vary according to the acuteness or chronic phase of the illness. An acute infection is in most of the cases asymptomatic and it leads to a chronic infection in 80% of the cases. Of these patients, 20% develop hepatic cirrhosis, which is the previous step to hepatic failure. Of these 20%, from 3% to 5% develop liver cancer.

Not treating the illness may lead to complications that in an important number of patients may lead to the necessity of a liver transplant.  The transplant has additional complications of serious considerations, such as the availability of the organs, the high costs associated to it and the required post-transplant care. This may have severe consequences for the patients as well as for the public health systems.

The paradigm of the Hepatitis C treatment has changed, above all, starting with the arrival of therapeutic alternatives that directly attack the virus, increasing cure rates. We are facing a new era.   Medications that change the regimen of treatment and management of Hepatitis C with higher cure rates in patients infected with HCV (Hepatitis C Virus) genotype 1, which is most predominant genotype in our environment and the most resistant to treatments.

The main goal of the Hepatitis C treatment is to accomplish a sustained viral response (SVR); this means that the virus remains undetectable in the patient´s blood (known as undetectable viral load) six months after finishing the treatment[3]. The patients that achieve an SVR are considered cured.

Telaprevir is part of the Direct-Acting Antivirals (DAAs), which are medications directed to specific enzymes to block important stages of the Hepatitis C virus replication. The DAAs have the potential to help the patients achieve a sustained viral response (SVR).

Telaprevir is a protease inhibitor that is used for only 12 weeks, in all cases, offering this way, a short duration treatment for the patients.

This new therapeutic alternative, presented by the pharmaceutical laboratory Janssen, offers the possibility of shortening the treatment to half the time (with interferon + ribavirin), in 6 to 7 of every 10 patients. It is important that the management of the triple therapy (protease inhibitor as Telaprevir + interferon and ribavirin) is in the hands of experienced doctors in liver diseases.

The importance of the diagnosis

Since this is a treatable and curable illness in many  cases, it is crucial to put personal emphasis in the request of an Hepatitis C detection test, for which is necessary to work more as a team with the clinical doctors and increase the awareness of this public health necessity. Once the infection is diagnosed, the patient should be referred to the specialist for him to evaluate the integrated approach and the needed treatment.

Part of the difficulty in the diagnosis generates in the fact that it is a highly asymptomatic illness or with vague symptoms, such as tiredness and fatigue.

Populations that are in high risk of bearing the virus, exist: intravenous drug users (current or previous), people with conditions associated with high prevalence of HIV, patients with hemophilia that received blood transfusions before 1992, people that have been in hemodialysis, people with elevated transaminases, transfusion receptors or organ transplants before July 1992, children of mothers with Hepatitis C, sexual partners of people with Hepatitis C and health personnel.

[1]-[2] World Health Organization.  Hepatitis C Weekly Epidemiological Record. 1997;82:65-69

[3] The Hepatitis C Trust. Treatments: Potential New Drugs. [cited 2010 Feb 20]

CONTACT: Joyce Nota, +507-6550-4170, [email protected]