Latest Drugwonks' Blog
Experimental cures are often the last hope for dying patients in the U. K. health system. Thanks to the British government, however, many sick Britons will soon have their last hopes dashed.
Why? Pharmaceutical companies from around the world have been scaling back clinical research in the
Read more about this distressing development here:
British system discourages availability of new drugs
See for yourself:
Shaedegg Video Interview
And let us know what you think.
Today, as if in honor of the great man's passing, the FDA will announce an advisory for physicians to use a genetic test to screen patients before prescribing abacavir, a widely used drug for H.I.V. infection and AIDS.
(Abacavir, developed by GlaxoSmithKline, is sold under the name Ziagen. It is also a component of two combination pills — Trizivir and Epzicom.)
According to Andrew Pollack in today’s New York Times, “The recommendation for the test is part of a movement toward so-called personalized medicine, in which genetic or other tests are used to determine which drugs are best for a patient and which should be avoided.”
Here is the complete New York Times story
Let’s honor Dr. McKusick by fully funding the Reagan/Udall Foundation and advancing the agenda of the FDA’s Critical Path Initiative.
Early on, the Food and Drug Administration believed that the culprit was tainted tomatoes. It spent weeks trying to locate the source and failed to turn up any definitive evidence. Officials announced last week that tomatoes are safe to eat.
The agency now suspects that another kind of produce — perhaps Mexican-grown jalapeño peppers handled by a small Texas produce shipper — may have caused the outbreak.
But things could be worse. Imagine if the contaminated goods weren’t produce but instead prescription drugs, coming in from all over the world.
Sound far-fetched? It’s more likely than you might think.
Here’s the rest of the story in today’s edition of the Ft. Worth Star-Telegram:
Ft. Worth Star-Telegram Op-Ed
As the FDA struggles to find the source of contaminated produce, Congress should take time to reconsider the problems with legalizing prescription drug importation.
If it doesn’t, the results could be much worse than food poisoning.
Center for Medicine in the Public Interest is a nonprofit, non-partisan organization promoting innovative solutions that advance medical progress, reduce health disparities, extend life and make health care more affordable, preventive and patient-centered. CMPI also provides the public, policymakers and the media a reliable source of independent scientific analysis on issues ranging from personalized medicine, food and drug safety, health care reform and comparative effectiveness.
