PRINTER FRIENDLY
|
News Lawyers forecast a flood of Avandia litigation Editor's Notes:
There is one certainty in the ongoing debate surrounding a potential increase in heart disease risk for patients taking GlaxoSmithKline's diabetes medicine Avandia: No matter what the science says, lawsuits will pile up against the company in short order—and perhaps siphon billions of dollars away from drug research into years of costly litigation. Continue reading . . . For drug makers, a downside to full disclosure Editor's Notes:
File this story under "damned if you do, damned if you don't." Even as companies comply with demands from Congress and the media to put ever more clinical trial data into public repositories on the Web, they expose themselves to lawsuits and accusations of hiding safety data. The problem is that safety signals that come from the meta–analyses of many different clinical trials—many of them small and of uncertain clinical value—are very much open to interpretation and debate. Continue reading . . . Avandia concerns reopen a wider debate Editor's Notes:
This article, from the Wall Street Journal, reports that Avandia's class of drugs, called peroxisome proliferated–activated receptors or PPARS, have a long track record of both extraordinary promise and safety problems. Companies are working hard to maximize the benefit of PPAR drugs while minimizing the risks; hopefully, the backlash against Avandia will not shelve promising research in this area. Continue reading . . . Commentary Rosiglitazone and Cardiovascular Risk Psaty and Furberg have written a thoughtful and balanced review of the meta–analysis of Avandia safety data published by Dr. Steve Nissen and his co–authors in the same issue of the New England Journal. It is well worth reading in full.
Continue reading . . . We’re seeking more data: FDA protects public health with careful analysis, not snap judgments Dr. von Eschenbach, the Commissioner of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, defends the FDA's handling of emerging safety data on potential heart risks associated with the diabetes drug Avandia.
Continue reading . . . Canadian media needle Sicko Howell, reporting from Cannes, writes that Michael Moore's mockumentary on American health care, Sicko, is receiving a chilly reception from Canadian journalists who question his rose–colored depiction of Canadian health care.
Continue reading . . . Does a drug firms free lunch influence doctors? Lassman defends the pharmaceutical industry’s physician marketing practices against allegations that physician-industry relationships skew patient health care. Far from hurting patient care, Lassman argues, marketing actually helps to improve it.
Continue reading . . . Doctors, drugs, and the poor Gawande suggests that international drug companies have a moral obligation to help make expensive new drugs affordable in low–income countries. This judgment seems correct—but policymakers and NGOs also have a responsibility to protect companies patent rights and offer them a fair return on their investment. This will help companies develop the next generation of miracle cures for poor and rich nations alike.
Continue reading . . . Sometimes, what’s needed is a nudge Leonhardt has written a short but fascinating article on how policymakers can "nudge" consumers into making better decisions without restricting choice or using heavy handed regulations.
Continue reading . . . Research Effect of Rosiglitazone on the Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death from Cardiovascular Causes Nissen and his colleagues perform a meta–analsysis on published clinical trial data on the diabetes drug Avandia and conclude that it may be associated with a 43% increase in heart attack risk for some patients.
Continue reading . . . Medical Progress Today is published by the Center for Medical Progress at the Manhattan Institute for Policy Research. For more information about Medical Progress Today, please contact the managing editor, Paul Howard, at phoward@manhattan-institute.org, or via telephone at 212.599.7000. Press inquiries regarding Medical Progress Today can be directed to the Communications Department, at communications@manhattan-institute.org, or via telephone at 212.599.7000. If you would like to unsubscribe, please reply to us and type "Unsubscribe" in the subject line. |
 |
NEWS |
 Lawyers forecast a flood of Avandia litigation |
| For drug makers, a downside to full disclosure |
| Avandia concerns reopen a wider debate |
COMMENTARY |
| Rosiglitazone and Cardiovascular Risk |
| We’re seeking more data: FDA protects public health with careful analysis, not snap judgments |
| Canadian media needle Sicko |
| Does a drug firms free lunch influence doctors? |
| Doctors, drugs, and the poor |
| Sometimes, what’s needed is a nudge |
RESEARCH |
| Effect of Rosiglitazone on the Risk of Myocardial Infarction and Death from Cardiovascular Causes |
|
COMING SOON!! |
|
