Category: Drugs

More Failed Studies of Antibody Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease.

I was unaware that the  result from Lilly was not the only recent major failure of a clinical trial of antibodies to the amyloid plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.  It seems that many other big and little-name drug companies have been trying the same approach with their dozen or so different antibodies. Each is trying to make it to market first where the biggest money lies.  (Consumers should beware when the commercial pressures are this great.)

Last month, Pfizer and its partners announced a similar failure of several studies which showed no clinical improvement when their particular antibody, bapineuzumab, was administered to several thousand patients over 18 months. Continue reading “More Failed Studies of Antibody Treatment for Alzheimer’s Disease.”

Lilly’s New Alzheimer Drug Fails Its Major Clinical Trials, But Stock Goes Up Anyway.

In God we trust. All others must bring data.

Yesterday, our local paper reprinted a piece from the Associated Press with the title, “Alzheimer’s drug promising.”  To me, this was a typical   example of what I call “press release medical reporting.”  The question I asked of myself and of the article was,  “how much is being promised.”  In my opinion, the answer is, “not very much,” but to the investment community to which this news release was being reported, it was enough to raise the stock prices of the manufacturer, Eli Lilly.  As a physician, I am not jumping up and down.  As an individual whose family was savaged for over three decades by Alzheimer’s disease, I am annoyed.  Let’s take a look at what is behind this commercial enthusiasm. Continue reading “Lilly’s New Alzheimer Drug Fails Its Major Clinical Trials, But Stock Goes Up Anyway.”

Why Do We Physicians Still Practice So Much Ineffective Medicine?

How Not to Treat Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis.

One of the first things I wrote about on these pages was the importance of having good evidence backing up what we doctors do to people, and how commercial editorial policies of medical journals have at least the potential of denying doctors and their patients timely knowledge of information that might inform their medical choices. I thought of that article again when I looked at one of the several email news summaries I get from various organizations.

One of the highlighted items that caught my eye was a report that “Combination therapy for pulmonary fibrosis appears to increase risk of death [and] hospitalization.” Several of the diseases I used to treat included pulmonary fibrosis and were notoriously difficult to manage. I clicked the “More…” button and was led to this week’s New England Journal of Medicine. The article provides a stunning example of how we physicians still allow ourselves to be led down the garden path of ineffective medical care. Continue reading “Why Do We Physicians Still Practice So Much Ineffective Medicine?”

I Love My Socialized Medicine.

I am less happy with private-sector managed confusion.

As I may have mentioned in these pages before, I am the beneficiary of socialized medicine in America. Yes, your tax dollars, supplemented by my lifetime of Medicare premiums (already spent on someone else) have been paying for my health care for the past year. Fortunately for you, I am in pretty good shape at the present time. Even better for me, the Supplemental Premiums paid into the kitty by my fellow United Healthcare Seniors are now paying my monthly gym fee through the Silver Sneakers program. That’s $30 or more a month I can spend on gin. I for one am in love with government-run socialized medicine.

Regular Medicare was easy for me. Uncle Sam signed me up automatically for the classic plan. It’s the private sector part of Medicare that is giving me fits. Picking a private Medicare supplement to cover copays and deductibles was relatively easy because UofL (my former employer) partially subsidizes only a single program for its retirees, and because of their feud with Humana, does not provide any support for Medicare Managed Care that might provide drug coverage. The University had earlier abandoned their promise to retirees that they would contribute to drug insurance coverage. (Ironic for an institution that aspires to be a drug company itself– or perhaps very smart.) We are on our own for drugs. Continue reading “I Love My Socialized Medicine.”