Government considers hiking price of alcohol and banning adverts
A ban on alcohol advertising could help address 'out of control industry advertising', campaigners have said after reports the move could be included in Government plans to improve the health of the nation. Officials are finalising the Government's 10-Year Health Plan, which is expected in the coming weeks.
A draft version of the document, seen by Sky News, implied a total or partial ban on adverts for alcohol has been considered. It is not yet known whether the initiative will be included in the final version of the plan.
Campaigners welcomed the prospect of a ban, saying UK regulations on alcohol advertising are 'far weaker' compared to other countries. Sky also reported minimum alcohol pricing was considered by officials but it is understood this will not be included in the plan.
READ MORE: Abandoned UK airport to reopen offering cheap Ryanair and easyJet flights to Europe
READ MORE: Prison officer who guarded Lucy Letby on her first night in jail says she was nothing like she seems
Commenting on the reports, Dr Richard Piper, chief executive of Alcohol Change UK, said: 'We must face facts: alcohol is a leading health polluter in the UK, affecting the quality of life and health of millions, while cutting too many lives short.
'Despite total consumption going down, alcohol harm is still going up. The status quo, including our far weaker advertising regulations compared to other countries, isn't working. Alcohol is everywhere: from sponsorship of prime-time TV shows and sporting events, highly visible advertising as we travel to and from work or school, and incessant online marketing that is almost impossible to turn off.
'All the while, endless associations between alcohol and relaxing, socialising, celebrating or commiserating have the effect of glamorising and normalising alcohol, falsely suggesting it is 'essential' to our lives.
'Too many children and young people are exposed to alcohol advertising, especially through sports sponsorship and online. This is totally unacceptable, and the public strongly supports action to protect our children from these tactics so they can enjoy an alcohol-free childhood as they grow and develop. 'Our kids should no longer be the collateral damage of alcohol marketing.
'Combined with wider measures to unlock better public health, reduce crime and strengthen our economy, we hope to see Government's 10-Year Health Plan and Health Mission Board on Alcohol address out of control industry advertising.
'This is a real opportunity to move alcohol out of the spotlight and reduce harm for millions of people.'
A spokesperson for Portman Group, which represents the alcohol industry, said in a statement: 'The vast majority of people drink within the chief medical officer's weekly guidelines. As such, we're not in favour of broad, sweeping measures that impact that moderate majority whilst ignoring the needs of those who drink at the most harmful levels.
'We are deeply concerned by the figures that tell us that 3% of the UK population drink 30% of total alcohol consumed and so we support the use of targeted measures to manage the complex, often interrelated issues resulting in harmful consumption.
'The industry already takes responsible marketing very seriously and we look forward to engaging if there are future consultations around this to ensure we can continue to protect consumers.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Medscape
an hour ago
- Medscape
New Data at EULAR Signal Advances in RA, Myopathy, Gout
Barcelona has become the world capital of rheumatology by hosting the 2025 Annual Meeting of the European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) in Spain. 'This is the world's largest rheumatology event,' said Daniel Aletaha, MD, president of EULAR and head of the Department of Rheumatology at the University Clinic for Internal Medicine III, MedUni Vienna, Vienna, Austria, during the conference opening session. He highlighted the scale of participation: 5125 abstracts submitted from 95 countries, 117 sessions, and 350 speakers from 45 nations. Inflammatory and Autoimmune Disease Among the plenary highlights was research led by Jason D. Turner, PhD, a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Birmingham, Birmingham, England. His comparative analysis of synovial tissue using single-cell and spatial transcriptomics identified overlapping disease pathways in spontaneous inflammatory arthritis and arthritis induced by immune checkpoint inhibitors. 'We found that the synovium in checkpoint inhibitor-associated arthritis is enriched with fibroblasts and T cells, is highly vascularised, and contains large numbers of CXCL9/10/11+ macrophages and CD8+ T cells. These findings support the current use of tumour necrosis factor inhibitors for this condition, although further investigation is needed to understand their applicability to spontaneous arthritis,' Turner explained. Hector Chinoy, PhD, FRCP, professor of rheumatology at the University of Manchester and lead at the Salford Royal Adult Neuromuscular Service, Manchester, England, presented the results of the ALKIVIA phase 2 study. This trial evaluated the efficacy of subcutaneous efgartigimod (PH20) administration in adults with active idiopathic inflammatory myopathy. The drug led to significant improvements in the Total Improvement Score compared with placebo and showed good tolerability and safety. 'These findings demonstrate the mechanistic importance of neonatal Fc receptor inhibition and suggest a potential pathogenic role for autoantibodies. These findings support the continued evaluation of the drug in the ongoing phase 3 trial' Chinoy said. Scleroderma, Preclinical Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA), Gout, and Lupus Adela‑Cristina Sarbu, MD, a researcher specialising in systemic sclerosis and interstitial lung disease at the University Hospital Bern, Bern, European Scleroderma Trials and Research group (EUSTAR), and the University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland, presented the findings from the EUSTAR cohort. In conclusion, exposure to prostanoids appeared to be associated with a slower progression of interstitial lung disease in patients with mild vascular disease. In contrast, exposure to endothelin receptor antagonists appeared to be beneficial in preventing symptom worsening in patients with more severe vascular diseases. 'No independent mortality benefit was seen with vasoactive or vasodilator drugs. Their effectiveness seems to depend on the severity of vascular disease' Sarbu noted, calling for further long-term studies. The ALTO study, an extension of the APIPPRA trial, led by Andrew Cope, PhD, of King's College London, London, England, found that a 1-year course of abatacept in individuals at high risk of developing RA could delay disease onset by up to 4 years. 'Individuals with baseline autoantibody profiles are more likely to develop the disease and respond well to T-cell co-stimulation blockade. Abatacept reduces the symptom burden during treatment but does not provide sustained benefits after treatment discontinuation. No new safety concerns were reported,' according to Cope. Edoardo Cipolletta, MD, rheumatologist at the Marche University Hospital, Ancona, Italy, and research associate at the University of Nottingham, Nottingham, England, presented an analysis of data on primary care, hospitalization, and mortality outcomes related to gout, based on cohorts from the UK and Sweden. The study found that achieving serum urate levels below 360 µmol/L within a year of initiating urate-lowering treatment was associated with a significantly lower risk for major adverse cardiovascular events. The 5-year relative risk reduction ranged from 6% to 11%, with an absolute survival benefit of 1.3%-1.4%. 'The association was consistent regardless of prior cardiovascular disease and across all sensitivity analyses,' Cipolletta reported. Richard A. Furie, MD, chief of Rheumatology at Northwell Health in New York, presented results from the REGENCY study, which evaluated obinutuzumab in patients with lupus nephritis. Award Recognition Miriam Ruiz Ponce, MSc, a predoctoral researcher at the Maimonides Biomedical Research Institute in Córdoba, Spain received one of the EULAR award for translational basic science. She developed a mouse model of fatty liver disease associated with inflammatory arthritis to evaluate the anti-inflammatory and metabolic properties of apremilast, a drug commonly used in psoriatic arthritis. 'Early results have shown that the drug has promising effects, as it partially reverses liver damage, as well as inflammation. These are the initial results, but it could be a potential treatment for inflammation and for the deleterious effects on the liver in these patients. It is an honour to receive this award, which motivates us to continue our research under the leadership of my mentor, Nuria Barbarroja Puerto, PhD, the principal investigator of the potential treatment targeting inflammation and liver damage,' she said. Chinoy disclosed financial relationships with AstraZeneca, Pfizer, PTC Therapeutics, and UCB. Furie disclosed the financial relationships with GSK and Genentech; the REGENCY study was funded by F. Hoffmann-La Roche. Sarbu and Cope disclosed having no relevant financial relationships. Turner, Cipolletta, and Ponce did not provide conflict-of-interest disclosures.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
Protecting children online: The time to act is now
In today's digital era, children are growing up in a world where social media are as integral to their daily lives as school or family. While technology offers tremendous opportunities for learning, creativity, and connection, it also exposes young people to significant risks that can no longer be overlooked. The consequences are deeply concerning. According to a 2023 report by the European Commission, one in three young people in the EU spends more than three hours per day on social media. This level of overexposure has been closely associated with a growing mental health issues among minors—including anxiety, depression, and low self-esteem. A 2024 study by the World Health Organisation showed that a problematic social media use among adolescents increased from 7% in 2018 to 11% in 2022. It highlights negative impacts on mental health, sleep, well-being and academic performance. Social media platforms – often built around addictive algorithms – are designed to keep young users engaged for extended periods. Constant exposure to idealised, curated content can distort self-perception, fuelling feelings of inadequacy and dissatisfaction. These are not just statistics—they reflect the genuine emotional and psychological struggles faced by an entire generation that is increasingly ill–equipped to navigate the digital world in a healthy and balanced manner. Europe has made notable progress through initiatives like the Better Internet for Kids (BIK+) strategy and the Digital Services Act (DSA). Yet, the current framework remains insufficient. The online protection of children must be elevated to a political and societal priority, underpinned by concrete and enforceable action. We must therefore move swiftly to implement a set of focused measures, starting with default privacy settings for children's accounts to reduce the risk of unsolicited contact from strangers. We also asking for ecalibrated recommender systems that prioritise explicit user feedback—such as deliberate selection of topics—to minimise the risk of children being drawn into harmful content rabbit holes. We want enhanced safety controls, including the ability for children to block or mute any user and protection from being added to group chats without their explicit consent, thereby reducing exposure to cyberbullying. Above all, mandatory age verification mechanisms must be implemented across all social networks. Such measures are essential to prevent minors from bypassing age restrictions and to substantially reduce their exposure to harmful online environments. The European Commission's recent draft guidelines on the protection of minors under the DSA mark a significant step towards a safer digital space. They offer a unique opportunity to establish age verification a a standard practice across social networks—not as an optional feature, but as a strict requirement. Enforcing age verification will equip platforms with the technical means necessary to uphold their own terms of service. It will also facilitate the enforcement of EU and national laws that set minimum age requirements for access to specific digital products or services. If we are genuinely committed to ensuring that the digital world fosters healthy development, learning, and meaningful connection—rather than becoming a breeding ground for anxiety, addiction and harm—then the decisive action must be taken now. Alexander Pröll, State Secretary for Digitalisation, Combating Antisemitism and Public Service, and the Constitution, Austria; Prof Radovan Fuchs, PhD., Minister of Science, Education and Youth, Croatia; Damir Habijan, Minister of Justice, Public Administration and Digital Transformation, Croatia; Dr Nicodemos Damianou, Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy, Cyprus; Caroline Stage Olsen, Minister for Digital Affairs, Denmark; Clara Chappaz, Minister of Artificial intelligence and Digital Affairs, France; Elisabeth Borne, Minister of National Education, Higher Education and Research, France; Catherine Vautrin, Minister of Labour, Health, Solidarity, and Families, France; Karin Prien, Federal Minister of Education, Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth, Germany; Dimitrios Papastergiou, Minister of Digital Governance, Greece; Sofia Zacharaki, Minister of Education, Religious Affairs and Sports, Greece; Patrick O'Donovan, Minister for culture and communications, Ireland; Prof Giuseppe Valditar, Minister for Education and Merit, Italy; Alessio Butti, Undersecretary of State to the Presidency of the Council of Ministers, responsible for technological innovation and digital transition, Italy; Elisabeth Margue, Minister for Justice and Minister attached to the Prime Minister, responsible for the Media and Connectivity, Luxembourg; Claude Meisch, Minister for Education, Children and Youth Affairs, Luxembourg; Tomáš Drucker, Minister of Education, Research, Development, and Youth, Slovakia; Ksenija Klampfer, Minister of Digital Transformation, Slovenia; Vinko Logaj, Minister of Education and Care, Slovenia; Oscar López Águeda, Minister for Digital and Civil Service Transformation, Spain and María del Pilar Alegría Continente, Minister for Education and Vocational Training, Spain all coauthored this opinion article.
Yahoo
2 hours ago
- Yahoo
‘Life-changing' drug for teenager who lost mother, aunt and uncle to condition
A teenager who lost her mother, aunt and uncle to a genetic condition has become the first person in Europe to receive a 'life-changing' drug after it was approved for use on the NHS. Mary Catchpole, 19, suffers from activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS), a rare inherited disorder that leaves people with a significantly weakened immune system. Patients with APDS are vulnerable to repeated infections and face a lifetime of antibiotics and invasive procedures to try and keep them well. Miss Catchpole's mother's side of the family has been badly affected by APDS – her mother Sarah died aged 43 in 2018, while her aunt Helen died aged 12, her uncle Edward when he was 39 and her grandmother Mary when she was 48. Now, thanks to researchers in Cambridge who identified APDS, Miss Catchpole has received a new drug to treat it at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge. The medicine, called leniolisib (Joenja), is the first ever targeted treatment for APDS and is a simple tablet taken twice a day. Miss Catchpole is a teaching assistant who lives in Great Yarmouth with her father Jimmy, 64, and brother Joe, 20, who does not have the condition. She told the PA news agency: 'I was diagnosed with APDS aged seven and it's had a big effect on my life. 'I had lots of cannulas when I was younger and lots of hospital trips. 'I had a permanent line in the side of my body when I was younger which they put medicine in regularly at the hospital. 'I wasn't allowed to do very much physical activity so I had to sit out a lot in PE at school. 'I used to be called an attention-seeker because obviously it was hidden, so no-one really believed me. 'It also stopped me from doing a lot of my dancing, which I've always loved to do. So it has been hard.' Miss Catchpole said taking the new drug is 'life-changing' as it means she can leave behind huge amounts of medication. She added: 'I feel really blessed because it's so simple to do and it doesn't take up very much time, whereas for the medication, it just takes such a long time to do. 'So it's really a blessing, but it's also obviously bittersweet because my late family members never got the chance to have it.' APDS was identified by Cambridge researchers in 2013, with Miss Catchpole's family playing a key role in its discovery. Her mother and uncle were Addenbrooke's patients and were offered DNA sequencing to see if there was a genetic cause for their immunodeficiency. Researchers identified a change in their genes that increased activity of an enzyme called PI3-Kinase delta – meaning this enzyme is effectively 'switched on' all the time. This prevents immune cells from fighting infection and leads to an abnormal immune function. The new drug works by inhibiting the enzyme, effectively normalising the immune system. Now, Miss Catchpole says she can look to the future with optimism and is excited to lead a normal life. 'I really want to become a dance teacher,' she said. 'I absolutely love my current job as a teaching assistant but I'd also like to go on some adventures as well. 'I've always felt different so it will be nice to feel like I belong. 'When I had sleepovers when I was younger and had to take all my medication with me, I didn't feel like a normal child. 'To be able to feel normal going about my day-to-day life is going to be really nice.' Until now, the only treatments for APDS patients were antibiotics for infections, immunoglobulin replacement therapy to prevent infections and organ damage, and a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Dr Anita Chandra, consultant immunologist at Addenbrooke's and affiliated assistant professor at the University of Cambridge, said: 'It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS within the space of 12 years. 'This new drug will make a huge difference to people living with APDS.' Professor Sergey Nejentsev, from the University of Cambridge who led the research that discovered APDS, said: 'As soon as we understood the cause of APDS, we immediately realised that certain drugs could be used to inhibit the enzyme that is activated in these patients. 'Leniolisib does precisely that. I am delighted that we finally have a treatment which will change the lives of APDS patients.' Professor James Palmer, NHS England's medical director for specialised commissioning, said: 'We're delighted to see Mary become the first patient in Europe to receive this first ever targeted and approved therapy for a rare condition identified just over a decade ago – in Cambridge no less. 'This treatment could be life-changing for those affected by this debilitating genetic disorder, and this important step forward is another example of the NHS's commitment to offering access to innovative medicines for those living with rare conditions.' Experts believe the drug will work long-term in patients as long as they keep taking the tablets. Researchers are now looking at the potential for leniolisib to work on other, more common immune conditions. Patients eligible for leniolisib can be referred to Addenbrooke's for specialist review and care. Between 40 to 50 people in England are known to have APDS. The list price for leniolisib is £352,000 per person per year but the company Pharming has agreed a discount for the NHS. The team that discovered APDS included researchers from the University of Cambridge, Babraham Institute, Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory for Molecular Biology, and Addenbrooke's, with funding from Wellcome and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
