Posted by Gary Schwitzer in Conflicts of interest, H1N1
Blogger Larry Husten asks, “Why was an Abbott marketing study published in the American Journal of Cardiology?”
It’s a great example of some of the fine journalism done by some blogging health journalists.
Disclaimer: I welcome comments but will delete those with any kind of product pitch, profanity, personal attacks or those from anyone who doesn’t list what appears to be an actual e-mail address. I will also end any thread of comments that are repetitive. Because I moderate comments, I can’t keep reacting to repeatedly inaccurate or unsubstantiated claims. We don't give medical advice so we won't respond to questions asking for it.
Treatment for advanced ovarian tumors may lengthen survival, but questions still remain, despite the story’s emphasis on “promising” and “new hope.”
As with the HealthDay story on this research that we reviewed, readers of this story get a good dose of caveats and cautions along with the suggestions that electrical brain stimulation might someday “have implications” for treatment of Alzheimer’s disease.
The readers of this story and the other one we reviewed by Reuters are likely to understand that electrical brain stimulation could have some memory effects, but it’s a long way from becoming a treatment for Alzheimer’s disease.
We will not display your name or e-mail address on the site, nor will we share youre-mail address with any third parties.
For site updates and news from Gary, find us on Twitter:
HealthNewsReview: @HealthNewsRevu
Gary Schwitzer: @garyschwitzer
Copyright © 2012 Health News Review
Mark Hochhauser posted on July 10, 2010 at 10:02 am
The abstract of this article didn’t mention if physicians discussed the cost of Niaspan with their patients. My guess is that that didn’t, since physicians often have no idea how much the drugs they prescribe actually cost. I take Niaspan (2 500 mg tablets per day), and the “usual and customary” cost is about $1,500/year, although my insurance co-pay is only $300/year. As for the “flushing” effect, my experience (along with other descriptions I’ve found online) is that your body can feel that it’s on fire, a side effect that causes some to quit taking the drug. By omitting the cost and accurate description of a major side effect, I’m not surprised that the physician-patient communication about Niaspan is incomplete.