Faculty Bibliography

Insurance coverage Although the FDA's goal is to reduce health care costs by improving access to treatments, remember that both public and private insurers are not likely to cover these treatments if a prescription isn't involved

Insurance coverage unlikely Although the FDA's goal is to reduce health care costs by improving access to treatments, remember that both public and private insurers are not likely to cover these treatments if a prescription isn't involved

Advocates of expanding over-the-counter medications point to aspirin or allergy drugs as examples that have proved successful without a doctor's prescription. But for every patient who is glad not to have to visit my office for an allergy prescription, I can point to another patient who has suffered side effects like fatigue that he or she didn't realize were due to that same pill, or where the allergic reaction was due instead to food. Although the FDA's goal is to reduce health care costs by improving access to treatments, remember that both public and private insurers are not likely to cover these treatments if a prescription isn't involved. Insurance companies typically rely on a doctor's authorization to document medical necessity. This is another way the FDA plan could backfire, as patients might not be able to afford the out-of-pocket expense and could even go without treatment altogether. A doctor's appreciation of a pharmacist's acumen is not the same thing as saying that he or she should replace a physician. The American Pharmacists Association is wrong to back the FDA proposal, and the American Academy of Family Physicians is right to oppose it

For all the attention in the media about potential side effects of vaccines like Merck's HPV vaccine Gardasil, not enough time or attention has been paid congratulating Merck for its shingles homerun, Zostavax. Zostavax is the only vaccine available to keep shingles from occurring. Studies from 2003 show that it is 50% effective at doing so. The Center for Disease Control recommends that everyone over the age of 60 receive it, and the author agrees with this recommendation since Shingles can be devastating and half of all cases are in people over the age of 60

Phentermine is an effective weight-loss drug that suppresses appetite. Though it can increase heart rate and blood pressure and cause palpitations, for many patients, it is well tolerated. The concerns with Qnexa center on its other main ingrethent - topiramate. Those concerns caused the FDA to reject Qnexa less than two years ago. So what has changed the momentum from FDA rejection to possible approval? It surely wasn't a study, completed late last year, which showed topiramate doubles the risk of cleft lip and palate in newborns of mothers who were taking the drug. The new FDA panel virtually ignored the results of this study, accepting the reassurances of Qnexa's manufacturer, Vivus, that it will restrict the drug for pregnant women and perform studies after approval to assess heart safety.

Bevacizumab (Avastin) is a revolutionary drug. A monoclonal antibody against a protein called vascular endothelial growth factor, it blocks the formation of blood vessels that feed the cancer -- and is the first drug of this kind approved for use in the US. Few would say that Avastin isn't highly useful, despite such side effects as fatigue, vomiting, and blood clots. Avastin has received undue criticism for false promises, but it remains highly useful -- and counterfeit versions remind people of how important the real version is. An important arrow in the oncologist's quiver, Avastin should be championed, not undermined.

Qnexa combines two drugs associated with weight loss: the appetite-suppressant phentermine and the anti-seizure drug topiramate, which appears to alter hunger hormones, decrease appetite, and adjust glucose and insulin concentrations.

Separation [Motion Picture] -- A 2010 article in the Archives of General Psychiatry reported that depression during pregnancy (made worse by the added stressors of marital discord and poverty) may increase the risk of adverse outcomes, including preterm birth.

Grey's Anatomy [Television Program] -- After watching her father suffer multiple cardiac arrests, Lily asks Meredith to stop using heroic measures to revive him. Since it is her 18th birthday and she is a legal adult, the doctors follow her wishes.

The early days In June 2009, when President Obama attended a "white coat" ceremony at the American Medical Association headquarters in Chicago, and this organization of physicians (roughly 17% are members) went on to deliver its endorsement of the president's legislation, physicians had a nagging question: [...] the law does the opposite: