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A look at some of the week’s top news includes diabetes and heart attack risk, Pfizer’s deceptive marketing practices and longer global life expectancy.

The Guardian reported that one of the largest studies conducted by England’s NHS Health and Social Care Information Centre found that diabetes increases the risk of heart attack by 48 percent. The study included data gathered from 2 million people from England and Wales who suffer from diabetes.

Other findings from the study revealed that people with diabetes also have a 65 percent greater risk for heart failure and that those with type 1 diabetes have a 135 percent greater risk of dying early than those with type 2.

Chief executive of Diabetes UK, Barbara Young, told The Guardian, “This report is not just a wake-up call for diabetes-related heart disease. It lays bare how people with diabetes are at greatly increased risk of complications such as amputation, stroke, kidney failure and blindness.” In response to the findings, England plans provide more monetary incentive to doctors for helping people with diabetes to better manage the disease.

In the United States, type 2 diabetes is also a growing problem. The American Diabetes Association reported that nearly 87 percent of Americans were well-educated about the disease’s risks. However, only 57.3 of people in high-risk groups thought about developing a plan for treatment. Of those in the high-risk group, 17.7 percent would rather take medications than make lifestyle changes, but diabetes drugs like Avandia or Actos come with their own health risks like bladder cancer and heart failure.

Pfizer pays $42.9 M to Settle Deceptive Marketing Allegations

On Wednesday, drug giant Pfizer agreed to pay $42.9 million to settle allegations that it engaged in unfair and deceptive marketing practices in promoting two of its drugs: Lyrica, a painkiller, and Zyvox, which is used to treat infections. The drug maker was accused of promoting Lyrica for “off-label” uses not approved by the FDA and making unsubstantiated claims about Zyvox’s effectiveness. The settlement will be split among 33 states and the District of Columbia.

New Jersey Attorney General Jeffrey S. Chisesa told the Madison Eagle: “This is an important settlement because it contains accountability measures designed to ensure that, going forward, these drugs are marketed on the basis of objective product information.”

According to the Madison Eagle, the judgment filed in New Jersey Superior Court requires that “Pfizer refrain in the future from making such claims on behalf of Zyvox or any other drug.” Unfortunately, the company has a history of lawsuits related to these same charges. In 2009, it paid $2.3 billion to settle civil and criminal accusations that it illegally marketed Bextra, a painkiller.

In addition, Pfizer’s antidepressant Zoloft is the target of a number of federal lawsuits over the drugmaker’s deceptive marketing and misrepresentation of the drug. Plaintiffs accuse the company of concealing that the drug causes serious birth defects.

People Around the World Living Longer

The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation released a report that revealed a decline in global deaths from communicable diseases such as tuberculosis and measles over the last 20 years, and a higher number of people living into old age. Public health officials credit improved sanitation, vaccination programs and better access to food in the developing world for the improvement in health.

People are living longer but there is an increase in cancer and diabetes, and these diseases account for two of every three deaths globally. Cancer accounted for 8 million deaths in 2010, and diabetes was responsible for 1.3 million lost lives in 2010.

While developing countries saw dramatic increases in life expectancy, the United States did not see the same gains. American women in particular posted the smallest gains in life expectancy. With a gain of just 2 years, they fell to 36thplace in 2010 from 22ndplace in 1990 in global life expectancy ranking. Charles Murray, director of the Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation, said several factors like rising obesity rates and smoking contributed to American women’s lack of life expectancy gains.

Public health experts say that the lifestyle changes required to address the new wave of chronic illnesses like cancer, heart disease and diabetes are more difficult to implement than simply administering a vaccine. Reducing mortality from these so called “lifestyle diseases” will be a much harder task for public health officials.