Archive for the EBM updates Category

March DTB

The March 2010 issue of Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) [volume 48,
number 3] contains an editorial and three articles. The editorial discusses
cardiovascular risk assessment tools. The first article is a review of the
cardiovascular safety concerns associated with NSAIDs. The second article
discusses managing asymptomatic primary hyperparathyroidism.  The third
article reviews the use of body surface area to adjust drug doses. A
podcast outlining what is in the March issue is also available via our
website www.dtb.bmj.com.

February’s DTB

The February 2010 issue of Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) [volume 48,
number 2] contains an editorial and three articles. The editorial discusses
concerns arising from the European Commission’s proposals for changing the
arrangements for licensing drugs and monitoring patient safety. The first
article is a review of the management of community-associated MRSA. The
second article discusses the use of ▼Pregabalin for generalised anxiety
disorder.  The third article highlights changes to the reporting of HbA1c
levels. A podcast outlining what is in the February issue is also available
via our website www.dtb.bmj.com.

Ghostwriting at Elite Academic Medical Centers in the United States

 This study looks at the 50 top medical centres in the US and their policies on ghostwriting. The authors found that only 26% of institutions have policy on ghostwriting.

http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000230

January’s DTB

The January 2010 issue of Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) [volume 48,
number 1] contains an editorial and three articles. In an editorial and an
accompanying podcast in March 2009, we highlighted issues about ‘high
street mole clinics’. These included concerns that new imaging technologies
might be used in such clinics by clinicians lacking appropriate training.
Our editorial this month discusses some developments in this area.  The
issue also includes a review of the management of medication overuse
headache, a review of the role of cognitive behavioural therapy for
schizophrenia, and a review of tocilizumab for rheumatoid arthritis. A
podcast outlining what is in the January issue is also available via our
website www.dtb.bmj.com.

December’s DTB


The December 2010 issue of Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) [volume 47, number 12] contains an editorial and three articles. The editorial discusses the problems raised by C. difficile infections occurring outside hospital. The issue also includes a review of the management of gastro-oesophageal refux in infants, a review of the role of strong opioids for osteoarthritis in primary care, and a review of generic prescribing in epilepsy. A podcast outlining what is in the December issue is also available via our website www.dtb.bmj.com.

 

October’s DTB

The October 2009 issue of Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin (DTB) contains an editorial and three articles. The editorial discusses the use of generic and trade names in current prescribing. The issue also includes a review of the role of BNP testing in heart failure, and articles about the drugs imiquimod, and two new oral fixed-dose oral anti-coagulants-▼dabigatran and ▼rivaroxiban. A podcast outlining what is in the October issue is also available via our website www.dtb.bmj.com.

fraudulently promoted drugs

A very informative website to search for fraudulently promoted drugs

http://www.usdoj.gov/opa/pr/2009/September/09-aag-900.htm

Physicians, the industry and population health

This week, two healthy skepticism members have written an interesting editorial in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community health on the impact of pharmaceutical advertising on doctor’s prescribing. Have a read at http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/content/short/63/10/773?q=w_jech_current_tab 13/9/9.

Ghostwriting Is Called Rife in Medical Journals

Six of the top medical journals published a significant number of articles in 2008 that were written by ghostwriters financed by drug companies, according to a study released Thursday by editors of The Journal of the American Medical Association.

Among authors of 630 articles who responded anonymously to an online questionnaire created for the study, 7.8 percent acknowledged contributions to their articles by people whose work should have qualified them to be named as authors on the papers but who were not listed.

Read the full article at http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/11/business/11ghost.html?_r=2&ref=health

10/9/9, New York Times

In clear sight

This interesting review looks at the ethics of th SCOT trial (Standard Care versus Celecoxib Outcome trial), both through sign up of GP practices and research design.

 BMJ 2009;339:b3443

http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/339/sep02_1/b3443