I have many, many patients and their families who are very active travelers. Business flights, vacation trips … some of you really rack up the miles. It is with shock and disappointment that I must report; Delta Air Lines has…
I have many, many patients and their families who are very active travelers. Business flights, vacation trips … some of you really rack up the miles.
It is with shock and disappointment that I must report; Delta Air Lines has made a very poor choice.
An ad, produced by the National Vaccine Information Center (NVIC), is currently being shown to passengers on Delta flights through the month of November. The ad encourages …
Have you heard the parable about the blind men and the elephant? Each is holding a different part of the animal and comes to a different conclusion about what he’s dealing with. The man holding the tail is sure it’s…
Have you heard the parable about the blind men and the elephant? Each is holding a different part of the animal and comes to a different conclusion about what he’s dealing with. The man holding the tail is sure it’s a rope; the one with the trunk fears a snake; the one holding the tusk is certain he has a spear. It’s all in their perspective. They’ll need to share …
At this point, few would argue against the need for increased oversight of the legions of so-called pain management clinics that have sprung up in the past decade. After all, an annually increasing majority of them are nothing more than…
At this point, few would argue against the need for increased oversight of the legions of so-called pain management clinics that have sprung up in the past decade.
After all, an annually increasing majority of them are nothing more than lucrative cash and carries for the legal sale of prescription narcotics to anyone with a need or want — and the cash in hand. They have become a public mental health …
A recent $3 billion settlement between drug giant GlaxoSmithKline and the FDA really got me thinking. On one hand, it's a breathtakingly huge number, breaking the old record of $2.3 billion set by Pfizer a couple of years back. And…
A recent $3 billion settlement between drug giant GlaxoSmithKline and the FDA really got me thinking. On one hand, it’s a breathtakingly huge number, breaking the old record of $2.3 billion set by Pfizer a couple of years back. And there are some initial indications that the pharmaceuticals may be cleaning up their act a bit, expanding their compliance departments, and reining in their sales forces in order to …
The revolution in medicine brought about by greater understanding of genomics has led to a number of targeted therapies in cancer care. The basic concept is to first find the genomic change or mutation that leads to a disease, then…
The revolution in medicine brought about by greater understanding of genomics has led to a number of targeted therapies in cancer care.
The basic concept is to first find the genomic change or mutation that leads to a disease, then learn its gene product and then develop a drug that inhibits the action of the aberrant gene product. The first was imatinib (Gleevec) for chromic myelocytic leukemia (CML.) When a …
One might assume that inmates in correctional facilities would not be influenced by big pharma’s direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) strategies. After all, their communication channels with the outside world have largely been silenced. However, many do have access to television. And…
One might assume that inmates in correctional facilities would not be influenced by big pharma’s direct-to-consumer advertising (DTCA) strategies. After all, their communication channels with the outside world have largely been silenced.
However, many do have access to television. And despite an increase in online pharmaceutical marketing, TV remains a common medium for trying to persuade patients to “ask your doctor” about drug X. Inmates also read magazines, another common …
Over the past decade or so, there have been at least 20 prescription drugs removed from the market, including several cases of high-profile blockbuster drugs that were found to be harmful only after millions of patients had taken them. Vioxx,…
Over the past decade or so, there have been at least 20 prescription drugs removed from the market, including several cases of high-profile blockbuster drugs that were found to be harmful only after millions of patients had taken them. Vioxx, the pain reliever sold by Merck is one example; taken by an estimated 20 million Americans, it increased the risk of heart attack and stroke in some patients. The company …
Never in recorded history have Americans been more distrustful of how the U.S. government spends its money. According to Gallup poll, Americans on average say that the federal government wastes 51 cents of every tax dollar, the highest level ever…
Never in recorded history have Americans been more distrustful of how the U.S. government spends its money. According to Gallup poll, Americans on average say that the federal government wastes 51 cents of every tax dollar, the highest level ever recorded since the poll was first taken in 1979. DTC marketers should understand that this mistrust is also leading to mistrust of marketing and advertising as well as big …
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the American College of Physicians. A 60-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension visits the office to establish medical care. He reports monitoring his blood pressure and…
A 60-year-old man with type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension visits the office to establish medical care. He reports monitoring his blood pressure and blood glucose measurements at home with good results. He had a cholesterol panel checked approximately 5 years ago, at which time he …
I see this as a glass half-full, glass half-empty issue. Recently, a study was published in Pediatrics detailing research conducted in May of 2010 about parents’ preferences to use alternative vaccination schedules versus following the recommended CDC vaccination schedule. The…
I see this as a glass half-full, glass half-empty issue. Recently, a study was published in Pediatrics detailing research conducted in May of 2010 about parents’ preferences to use alternative vaccination schedules versus following the recommended CDC vaccination schedule. The majority of the media coverage focused on the finding that over 10% of parents followed a schedule other than the one recommended by the CDC. Not perfect and not ideal …
As the clock ticks away on Primatene Mist, the only over-the-counter asthma inhaler left on the market, it is being ginned up as an argument against regulatory overreach by the Obama administration. I have been observing the Primatene controversy for…
As the clock ticks away on Primatene Mist, the only over-the-counter asthma inhaler left on the market, it is being ginned up as an argument against regulatory overreach by the Obama administration. I have been observing the Primatene controversy for decades as an asthma specialist. I have to say that there’s blame enough on many sides of this discussion, not just pro and con government regulation, but both the pharmaceutical …
Being a physician certainly biases how I view the world around me. I can't help but think in terms of problem-solving and healing. But have you noticed how medicalized our society has become? The other night watching television, we watched…
Being a physician certainly biases how I view the world around me. I can’t help but think in terms of problem-solving and healing. But have you noticed how medicalized our society has become? The other night watching television, we watched at least four drug commercials and one health insurance commercial — during a half-hour show! I believe we are in the middle of the medicalization of America, and I don’t …
Always covered by an employer health plan, I had never given a thought to prescription costs – my medications had been covered by moderate copays. This changed when I retired and enrolled in Medicare (and a Medicare Part D plan).…
Always covered by an employer health plan, I had never given a thought to prescription costs – my medications had been covered by moderate copays. This changed when I retired and enrolled in Medicare (and a Medicare Part D plan).
Just prior to retirement, my eyes suddenly began tear and swell so much that it impacted my vision. The eye doctor diagnosed an allergic reaction and prescribed prednisone drops to …
In general I support embargoes in medical journalism. Although the current system is far from perfect and contains all sorts of wrinkles and unexpected consequences, I support the system because it allows journalists a bit more time to work on…
In general I support embargoes in medical journalism. Although the current system is far from perfect and contains all sorts of wrinkles and unexpected consequences, I support the system because it allows journalists a bit more time to work on complicated stories and to try to get them right. Recently, though, I came across the single worst abuse of an embargo that I have encountered in the course of my …
The inspector general of HHS recently reported that nearly half of the anti-psychotic drugs fed to the demented elderly in nursing homes are inappropriately prescribed. That’s about one in fourteen nursing home residents. Forget about cost, which is over a…
The inspector general of HHS recently reported that nearly half of the anti-psychotic drugs fed to the demented elderly in nursing homes are inappropriately prescribed. That’s about one in fourteen nursing home residents.
Forget about cost, which is over a quarter billion dollars a year. “Government, taxpayers, nursing home residents as well as their families and caregivers should be outraged and seek solutions,” wrote Daniel R. Levinson, the HHS I.G. wrote …
One of the reasons cited for our expensive health care system is that drugs cost more in America (part of our capitalistic system). In June of 2003, a study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine about the…
One of the reasons cited for our expensive health care system is that drugs cost more in America (part of our capitalistic system). In June of 2003, a study was published in the New England Journal of Medicine about the use of a form of progesterone to delay the birth of certain preterm infants. This particular hormone is found in the human body, but the formulation …
There is do doubt that the way pharmaceutical companies market drugs to both doctors and consumers sways prescribing and drives up health costs. Prescription drug costs have outpaced other health care spending and are predicted to exceed the growth rates…
There is do doubt that the way pharmaceutical companies market drugs to both doctors and consumers sways prescribing and drives up health costs. Prescription drug costs have outpaced other health care spending and are predicted to exceed the growth rates for hospital care and physician services going forward from 2010-2019.
Two researchers (Howard Brody, MD, PHD, University of Texas Medical Galveston and Donald Wright, PhD, University of Medicine and Dentistry …
A young man on my sobriety-based detox program (only after showing positive for opiates) admitted to heroin-usage, but hedged the matter saying it was "5 days ago." His implicit presumption was that an isolated episode, days ago -- compared to…
A young man on my sobriety-based detox program (only after showing positive for opiates) admitted to heroin-usage, but hedged the matter saying it was “5 days ago.” His implicit presumption was that an isolated episode, days ago — compared to continuous, more recent, heroin-usage — would lessen the likelihood of his getting kicked off the program.
Is his story of “no heroin [ingestion] in the last five days,” likely, the whole …
We have to crush pills sometimes. Either the patient (through aversion or physical limitation from stroke) can’t swallow whole pills so we crush them and put them in applesauce, or the patient gets their pills through a tube, so we…
We have to crush pills sometimes. Either the patient (through aversion or physical limitation from stroke) can’t swallow whole pills so we crush them and put them in applesauce, or the patient gets their pills through a tube, so we crush them and dissolve them in water.
When I started nursing, we had a mortar and pestle.
While diligently perusing a stack of unread journals, a piece in the July 25, 2011 issue of Modern Healthcare caught my attention. Titled "What's the Agenda?" this special report deftly navigated the murky waters of "physician participation on advisory boards"…
While diligently perusing a stack of unread journals, a piece in the July 25, 2011 issue of Modern Healthcare caught my attention.
Titled “What’s the Agenda?” this special report deftly navigated the murky waters of “physician participation on advisory boards” and managed to present an accurate appraisal of the issues.
Here is a brief recap.
Back in the days before “medical ethics” issues were commonplace, pharmaceutical and medical device manufacturers were accustomed …
Test your medicine knowledge with the MKSAP challenge, in partnership with the 
