In a week in which we already wrote about US drug stores giving out free statin drugs, we thought readers might be interested in how a new (new-ish) skin cholesterol test is being marketed, and how some Canadian drug stores are getting in on the act. Someone in Canada sent me the following news release: [...]
Probably the two most frequent subjects on this blog regarding the proliferation of new medical technologies are proton beam radiation therapy and robotic surgery. Since this blog focuses on media messages about health care interventions, we generally focus on the marketing claims made for these technologies. The latest edition of the journal Current Urology Reports [...]
Noteworthy new website launch – RxISK.org: “Making medicines safer for all of us.” It’s founded by Dr. David Healy, internationally renowned psychiatrist and author from Wales; Dr. Dee Mangin of New Zealand, Dr. Kalman Applbaum of the University of Wisconsin, Dr. Nancy Olivieri and others you can read about here. The project’s own description: “RxISK [...]
The journal Arthritis Care & Research has accepted for future publication – and posted online (for subscribers) – an unedited paper, “Preceding the Procedure: Medical Devices and Shared Decision-Making.” The paper builds on a hypothetical example of a man in his 50s with hip arthritis who is facing a decision about total hip replacement. Excerpts: [...]
The NPR “Shots” blog and the Star Tribune were the only mainstream news organizations I saw that reported on a new survey by the Union of Concerned Scientists (opens as pdf file). Under the headline, “FDA Survey uncovers concerns over influence,” the Strib reported: Some workers in the medical device approval section of the Food [...]
The following is a cross-post from the Reporting on Health website, written by one of our HealthNewsReview.org story reviewers, William Heisel, who publishes the excellent blog, William Heisel’s Antidote: Investigating Untold Health Stories. ——————————————————————————————————————————————————– For doctors selling risky cosmetic surgery procedures, using billboards to lure patients is just one more roll of the dice. This [...]
On the NPR Shots blog, Scott Hensley addresses, “Avastin For Breast Cancer: Hope Versus False Hope.” Excerpt: Any day now FDA Commissioner Margaret Hamburg is expected to make a final decision on Avastin’s fate. Women who said Avastin helped their breast cancer were out in force at a June hearing of an appeal of FDA’s [...]
The FDA’s Risk Communication Advisory Committee, of which I’m a member, today published a book written by committee members, “Communicating Risks and Benefits: An Evidence-Based User’s Guide.” The book is available online as a pdf file. My chapter was on the tendency for journalists, when reporting on health care interventions, to exaggerate benefits and minimize [...]
In the sometimes Laurel-and-Hardy-like (“Here’s another fine mess you’ve gotten us into!”) interactions between industry, government, and clinicians, there’s a debate brewing about whether drugs used to treat benign prostate problems (BPH) should also be used to try to prevent cancer of the prostate. (Photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/karlosofsyston/) The drugs are of the class called 5-alpha [...]
The FDA is apparently considering loosening the conflict-of-interest rules that apply to members of FDA advisory committee members. These rules have set limits on the financial arrangements that members can have with companies in the health care industry. The Project on Government Oversight wrote about the issue last week. If the perceived problem is that [...]
This story focuses on a family that may have a rare genetic mutation that increases their risk of heart disease. Unfortunately, the “rare” part wasn’t mentioned until 1,600 words into this 2,100 word story.
While this story adequately addressed 7 of our 10 criteria, the 3 on which it missed were significant omissions, yet could have been easily addressed.
Solid medical conference reporting, with many expert interviews and good context provided. Goes far beyond the conference presentation itself.
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