Public Health England (PHE), the new DH-appointed agency, has outlined the leadership structure it will have in place by April 2013.

A senior leadership team and executive board will provide public health, professional and strategic leadership to help local authorities in their new role of managing public health.

Like the NHS Commissioning Board, PHE seeks to combine “a national voice and local action”: it is a national executive agency seeking to guide and co-ordinate local initiatives to reduce health risks.

In My vision for Public Health England, designated Chief Executive Duncan Selbie describes the structure and ambitions of the new agency.

PHE’s senior leadership team will include three public health leaders – a Director for Health Protection, a Director for Health Improvement and Population Health, and a Chief Knowledge Officer; and three professional leaders – a Chief Operating Officer, a Director of Finance and Corporate Services, and a Director of Human Resources.

Two further leaders will support delivery: a Director of Strategy “holding the ring on our internal discussions and with our stakeholders” to determine PHE’s strategic direction, and a Director of Programmes working with NHS and local government organisations to translate the strategy into national priorities.

The senior team will be complemented by an executive board providing “senior scientific and professional expertise” and a predominantly non-executive board with a publicly appointed chair.

According to Selbie, PHE’s ambition is to “lead nationally and enable locally a transformation in the health expectations and, in time, outcomes of all people in England”. He promises “leadership without hierarchy” and a focus on “transformation rather than transition”.

In order to have PHE in operation by April 2013, he says, it is essential to focus on shifting staff into the new agency, maintaining service continuity and frequent communication.

Eli Lilly has won its first trial over health risks concerning its anti-psychotic drug, Zyprexa.

It is the first of 40 outstanding patient lawsuits involving the medication that claim the company concealed the drug’s side effects from patients and doctors.

Approximately 31,000 patient lawsuits were originally filed, most of which were covered by a $1.2 billion settlement, leaving 110 patient claims pending in 40 lawsuits.

The case in Los Angeles was filed by the family of a 20-year-old student who died while taking Zyprexa. They said that Lilly hid the medicine’s safety risks whilst marketing the medication for both approved and off-label uses in the US.

The lawsuit also claimed that the pharmaceutical company trained its sales representatives to counteract questions regarding risks of weight gain and diabetes linked to Zyprexa.

In addition to its settlement deal of $1.2 billion, Lilly also paid $1.42 billion for federal off-label marketing investigations and $260 million for state claims.