Jennifer Bartlett took the drug sulindac, a generic version of Clinoril, for her sore shoulder. She experienced a horrific, life-altering reaction, and sued the manufacturer. Last week, the U.S. Supreme Court told her and anybody else who could easily be in her position to go jump in a lake. We wrote about her sad story….
Continue ReadingArchives for June 2013
FDA Issues Alert on Preventing Medical Device Hacking
A couple of years ago, we wrote about the vulnerability of certain insulin pumps to outside hackers. Since then, many more many medical devices with embedded computer systems also seem to be vulnerable to cyber security breaches. Add to that the increasingly interconnected nature of hospital networks and smartphones, and the risk of cybers ecurity….
Continue ReadingMedtronic Spinal Treatment Is Riskier and No Better than Bone Graft
In another example of newer-not-better, two new studies suggest that a controversial product intended to promote spinal bone growth provides no benefits over traditional spine surgery, and comes with the added risk of serious side effects. As reported on AboutLawsuits.com, the independent reviews published in the Annals of Internal Medicine (here and here) analyzed data….
Continue ReadingRooting Out Conflicts of Interest from Clinical Treatment Guidelines
Although people skills are critical to good doctoring, at heart physicians are (or are supposed to be) scientists. They are obliged to remain current with the science in their field. Because the body of knowledge never stops growing, that’s a big job. And conflicts of interest make it tougher, when the writers of practice guidelines….
Continue ReadingAMA Group Deems Obesity Officially a Disease
Obesity is a problem. It can lead to heart problems, diabetes and musculoskeletal issues, and it can be socially challenging. Some medical professionals now want to officially designate it as a disease. Why? Follow the money trail of health insurance. Last week, as reported on MedPageToday.com, the House of Delegates-the policy-making body of the American….
Continue ReadingFDA Panel Recommends that Avandia Get New Lease on Life
In 2011, the FDA yanked the diabetes drug Avandia from most of its market because of unacceptably high cardiovascular risks. As we blogged then, the risk of heart attack for people using the drug was shown to increase by about 40% for those with type 2 diabetes, a population already at increased risk of heart….
Continue ReadingMichael Douglas Dish Is Another Case of Medical Misinformation
When our celebrity culture spills over into the medical culture, good things can happen. Most recently, it was when Angelina Jolie publicly disclosed in a New York Times article that she had had prophylactic (preventive) breast removal surgery. Like other members of her family who had died from breast cancer, she also possessed the genetic….
Continue ReadingSupreme Court Says Genes Can’t Be Patented
It wasn’t even close. All nine judges in last week’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling said that human genes are not patentable. The rare 9-0 ruling went against Myriad Genetics, a Utah company that had patented BRCA1 and BRCA2, genes whose presence signify a much higher probability that their human hosts will get breast or ovarian….
Continue ReadingAcknowledging a Mistake Made Her a Better Doctor
Time and again it has been proved that when a doctor acknowledges a mistake and engages the patient instead of ignoring or denying what happened, everyone’s interests are served. Our blog from last year, “Admitting Errors Is the Right Thing to Do,” explained why this approach creates a culture of honesty within the medical profession,….
Continue ReadingHigh Doses of Some Anti-Inflammatories Pose Heart Risks
Advil and Motrin are familiar names to people seeking relief from pain whose cause is as varied as a pulled hamstring and an arthritic hip. These and other meds in a class known as NSAIDs-nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs-are among the most common medications taken in the U.S. They can provide relief but also, according to a….
Continue Reading