Bad medicine

HUNDREDS of medicines used to treat colds or flu are under review in Spain due to a potential risk of brain diseases.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) put the medications containing pseudoephedrine under review last week. About 30 are marketed in Spain, these include the wellknown Termalgil, Gelocatil, Influenza with Pseudoephedrine, Frenadol Descongestivo and Cinfatos

The agency’s safety committee targeted the products due to a risk of developing brain diseases where there is a reduced blood supply to the brain, which can cause serious and life-threatening complications in some cases.

Spain leads all countries of the European Union in obesity, with four out of 10 girls and boys living with obesity or deemed overweight. Obesity has also doubled in girls and adolescents in the past 20 years.

Obesity

Spanish president Pedro Sanchez, High Commissioner against Child Poverty Ernesto Gasco and co-founder of the Gasol Foundation, Pau Gasol, have presented a plan to reduce childhood obesity by 25% by 2030.

The National Strategic Plan for the Reduction of Childhood

Obesity has more than 200 measures that will follow six key steps; promote physical activity and sports, promote