Monday, June 11, 2007

New York Times asks "Question Authority" about Avandia

Call the Doctor
By DAVID CARR
Published: June 11, 2007

When the news broke last month that significant questions had been raised about an increase in the risk of a heart attack for users of Avandia, I followed the reports with a bit more avidity than most.

[snip]

Dr. Peter Rost, an industry whistle-blower and the author of the Question Authority blog (peterrost.blogspot.com/), said there was extreme value in consumers using the Web as a health resource, even if it is noisy and all over the road.

“Yes, you have to sort it out and you have to evaluate, but all of the information used to belong to the moneyed and the powerful,” he said. “Those barriers don’t exist on the Web, so people have access to all sorts of information about Avandia.”

Perhaps that’s true, after some time spent researching the whole issue, I decided to just back away from the mouse. Data is not knowledge, and information is not insight; consumers still have to make their own judgments about the agendas that are at work.

When it comes to meta-analysis on breaking issues, the Web seems better-suited to Paris Hilton than patient safety.

This Wednesday, I will see my endocrinologist. We will chat for a few minutes about Avandia and no doubt he’ll smile when I entertain him with all that I have learned on the Web. Then after he tells me what he thinks, I will follow my doctor’s orders.

Full article here.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Lesson learned for drug companies: Be upfront with all side effects. Put it in the label. let the doctors decide. Duh.

. said...

I feel sorry for the person who wrote that letter, if they think that MDs are informed on all the latest information about side effects for EVERY medication that have to prescribe. It just simply isn't possible for the FDA to cope with all the incident reports (yes I have that on record) LET ALONE, expect your family MD who has 15 min per person with 30 minutes of paperwork, to have time to research all medications on lets say a weekly basis. Most MDs don't use more web than email and amazon.

Love, Peace and Letting People research their hearts out for their own good.

Dr. B.K.