Public Release: 19-Jul-2018 One of the most common surgical procedures in the Western world is probably unnecessary, suggests a new study University of Helsinki The Finnish Shoulder Impingement Arthroscopy Controlled Trial (FIMPACT) compared surgical treatment of shoulder impingement syndrome to… Read More ›
Ineffective Treatments
Spinal surgery for osteoporosis no better for pain relief than injections
PUBLIC RELEASE: 9-MAY-2018 Results do not support surgery as standard pain treatment for osteoporotic fractures BMJ Vertebroplasty (surgery to repair spinal fractures) is no more effective for pain relief than a sham (placebo) procedure in older patients with osteoporosis, finds… Read More ›
Survival rates for people suffering from heart failure have not improved since 1998
Public Release: 30-Jan-2017 Heart failure survival rates show no improvement Oxford University Press USA Survival rates for people suffering from heart failure have not improved since 1998, according to a study led by University of Oxford researchers. Published in Family… Read More ›
Currently approved TB vaccine is now only about 20% effective at best, researchers examining new candidates
Public Release: 28-Jul-2016 Toward an effective TB vaccine: Analysis of the immune response to a promising candidate PLOS IMAGE: This is a scanning electron micrograph of Mycobacterium tuberculosis bacteria, which cause tuberculosis. Credit: NIAID BCG, the only currently approved TB… Read More ›
Statins ‘may be a waste of time for the over-60s’: Row over controversial report that says there is no link between ‘bad cholesterol’ and heart disease
Academics and cardiologists from 17 countries reviewed 19 previous studies, involving 68,000 people. For decades doctors have prescribed statins to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes caused by ‘bad’ cholesterol in the blood But now a team of… Read More ›
The Lancet: Most antidepressant drugs ineffective for children and teens, according to study
Public Release: 8-Jun-2016 But authors warn that lack of available data from published and unpublished trials leads to great uncertainty around true effects The Lancet Most available antidepressants are ineffective, and some may be unsafe, for children and teenagers… Read More ›
Pharma Firms may of got caught manipulating data, resulting in agony and profit ?
“misleading marketing caused some lung-cancer patients “to die earlier and faster, with more pain.” “This settlement, however, allows the company to avoid the burden, disruption, cost and distraction of protracted civil litigation and to focus instead on our business of… Read More ›
Acid reflux misdiagnosed 90% of the time in babies
Public Release: 2-May-2016 Even doctors get confused about reflux disease in babies New study shows that clinical symptoms are only rarely validated by the gold-standard reflux test Thomas Jefferson University (PHILADELPHIA) – Millions of Americans currently use medication for their… Read More ›
Traditional skin tests used to predict allergies to antibiotics are useless say Montreal researchers
Public Release: 7-Apr-2016 McGill University Health Centre Montreal, April 7 2016– Skin tests traditionally used to predict allergies to amoxicillin, one of the most commonly prescribed antibiotics in children, are ineffective according to a new study led by a… Read More ›
Psychiatric assessments for predicting violence are ineffective
Public Release: 12-Nov-2015 Standard approaches for investigating risk of violence in psychiatric patients and prisoners are inaccurate and should be abandoned in all future studies, according to researchers from Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) Queen Mary, University of… Read More ›
Benzodiazepines ineffective in treating anxiety disorders and may increase dementia risk
Public Release: 5-Oct-2015 Osteopathic psychiatrists encourage patients to review treatment options to improve outcomes and reduce risks American Osteopathic Association Patients taking benzodiazepines to treat psychiatric conditions should consider transitioning to other therapies because of heightened risks for dementia… Read More ›
Osteoporosis drugs shown to increase hip fracture risk
“the use of oral bisphosphonates was not associated with a reduction in hip fractures in women of 65 but it was associated with a greater risk of atypical hip fractures (subtrochanteric or diaphyseal fractures). “This risk increases when the time… Read More ›
Benzodiazepines not recommended for patients with PTSD or recent trauma
Public Release: 14-Jul-2015 Wolters Kluwer Health July 14, 2015 – Benzodiazepine drugs are widely used in patients with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), but available evidence suggests that they are not effective–and may even be harmful, concludes a systematic review and… Read More ›
Mammography benefits overestimated
Public Release: 7-Jul-2015 King’s College London An in-depth review of randomised trials on screening for breast, colorectal, cervical, prostate and lung cancers, published in the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, shows that the benefits of mammographic screening are… Read More ›
Study: Severe asthma fails to respond to mainstay treatment
Public Release: 29-Jun-2015 University of Pittsburgh Schools of the Health Sciences PITTSBURGH, June 29, 2015 – The immune response that occurs in patients with severe asthma is markedly different than what occurs in milder forms of the lung condition, according… Read More ›
Noted urologist calls attention to implications of flawed prostate specific antigen data in SEER
Public Release: 18-May-2015 Editorial in The Journal of Urology® warns of impact on previous research results Elsevier Health Sciences New York, NY, May 18, 2015 — The National Cancer Institute (NCI) recently announced that it had removed all prostate specific… Read More ›
Another Major Blow to Statin Therapy
For patients in the lowest risk group, the researchers calculated that doctors would need to treat 57-66 patients for 10 years to prevent one heart attack. In the intermediate risk group, doctors would need to treat 42-47 patients over… Read More ›
Case against Merck allegedly providing false data on vaccine efficacy allowed to advance
Antitrust, FCA Claims On Merck Mumps Vaccine To Advance By Dan Packel Law360, Philadelphia (September 05, 2014, 6:12 PM ET) — Two lawsuits accusing Merck & Co. Inc. of lying about the efficacy of its mumps inoculation in order to… Read More ›
‘Prostate cancer test has been misused for money’ Claims Pathologist Richard Ablin who discovered the PSA antigen 40 years ago
“Many men get treated unnecessarily – and risk life-altering side effects including impotence and incontinence” Pathologist Richard Ablin discovered the PSA antigen 40 years ago. He says it should never have been used as a cancer screening tool for all… Read More ›
Non-human sugar in biotech drugs causes inflammation
EEV: Since this initial release from 2010, we believe there has been absolutely no action Public release date: 25-Jul-2010 – sugar molecule common to chimpanzees, gorillas and other mammals * but not found in humans * provokes a strong immune response in… Read More ›
Doctors Group Sues FDA over ( Daxas, Daliresp) , Roflumilast for COPD
Highlights: -Physicians for Integrity in Medical Research says in its federal complaint against Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg – best-case scenario showed that roflumilast reduced the number of exacerbations by one episode a year for every five patients… Read More ›
Doctors Group Sues FDA, Saying Drug Does More Harm Than Good
roflumilast, a drug used to treat chronic obstructive pulmonary disease By ELIZABETH WARMERDAM LOS ANGELES (CN) – A physicians group sued the U.S. FDA, seeking revocation of FDA approval of roflumilast, a drug used to treat chronic obstructive… Read More ›
Brief fever common in kids given influenza, pneumococcal vaccines together
PUBLIC RELEASE DATE: 6-Jan-2014 – Parents should be made aware that their child might develop a fever following simultaneous influenza and pneumococcal vaccinations – children who received simultaneous influenza and pneumococcal vaccines, about a third (37.6 percent) had a fever… Read More ›
NLST data highlight probability of lung cancer overdiagnosis / overdiagnosis rate for bronchioloalveolar lung cancer was 78.9 percent
Contact: Shawn Farley PR@acr.org 703-648-8936 American College of Radiology NLST data highlight probability of lung cancer overdiagnosis with low-dose CT screening Philadelphia, PA—Data from the National Lung Cancer Screening Trial (NLST)—conducted by the American College of Radiology Imaging Network and… Read More ›
Those expected to benefit the most from Avastin based on genetic testing had the worst survival rates. Yet they keep justifying its Use.
Avastin fails studies in new brain tumor patients By MARILYNN MARCHIONE | Associated Press – CHICAGO (AP) — New research raises fresh questions about which cancer patients benefit from Avastin, a drug that lost its approval for treating breast cancer nearly… Read More ›
Just say don’t: Doctors question routine tests and treatments
Thu, 21 Feb 2013 05:00 GMT Reuters By Sharon Begley NEW YORK, Feb 21 (Reuters) – Now there are 135. That’s how many medical tests, treatments and other procedures – many used for decades – physicians have now identified as… Read More ›
ADHD symptoms persist for most young children despite treatment
Contact: Ekaterina Pesheva epeshv1@jhmi.edu 410-502-9433 Johns Hopkins Medicine Nine out of 10 young children with moderate to severe attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) continue to experience serious, often severe symptoms and impairment long after their original diagnoses and, in many cases,… Read More ›
Chronic hepatitis C: Interferon may be harmful in re-treatment: “may face an increased risk of dying sooner”
Contact: Jennifer Beal sciencenewsroom@wiley.com 44-012-437-70633 Wiley People with hepatitis C and chronic liver disease who relapsed or failed to respond to initial treatment are unlikely to improve on interferon retreatment. In fact, they may face an increased risk of dying… Read More ›
Piers Morgan Says He Got A Flu Shot And Ten Days Later He’s Sick! ( Failed Dr Oz. PR stunt )
Discovered the segment through the Natural Society. Even though not a scientific analysis, the Irony was priceless. Thank you to Mox News for this clip. *** In some instances the video as embedded does not play. It will however… Read More ›
Hospital apologises to 38 families for appalling care that saw a patient starve to death
An NHS hospital has apologised to 38 families after a patient starved to death and it left other dying people screaming in pain. From left: Patricia Bridle, Laurence Hodges, Lois Smith and Chris Grande Photo: JOHN ROBERTSON/NEWSTEAM/ANDREW FOX By Laura Donnelly,… Read More ›
Merck cholesterol drug fails; risks seen/ But yet approved in the European Union in since 2008
Thu, 20 Dec 2012 17:03 GMT Reuters * Cites increase in nonfatal side effects * Says it will not seek U.S. approval of high-profile drug * Failure is latest setback for HDL-raising drugs * Merck shares fall 2.5 percent (Adds… Read More ›
Antibiotics no more effective at relieving coughs and colds than a sugar pill
Those taking antibiotics in study reported more side effects including rash, nausea and diarrhoea Jeremy Laurance Wednesday, 19 December 2012 The winter may be peak season for coughs and colds but there is no point… Read More ›
Heart failure drug less effective in real world; aldosterone antagonists
Contact: Sarah Avery sarah.avery@duke.edu 919-660-1306 Duke University Medical Center DURHAM, N.C. – A large study addressing the effectiveness and safety of aldosterone antagonist therapy for older heart failure patients has found notable differences between the drug’s results in clinical trial… Read More ›
4 common antipsychotic drugs found to lack safety and effectiveness in older adults: aripiprazole (Abilify), olanzapine (Zyprexa), quetiapine (Seroquel), and risperidone (Risperdal)
Contact: Debra Kain ddkain@ucsd.edu 619-543-6163 University of California – San Diego In older adults, antipsychotic drugs are commonly prescribed off-label for a number of disorders outside of their Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved indications – schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. The… Read More ›
WHO and the pandemic flu “conspiracies” – FULL report from the BMJ and The Bureau of Investigative Journalism 2010
2010 report posted for filing Conflicts of Interest WHO and the pandemic flu “conspiracies” Deborah Cohen, features editor, BMJ, Philip Carter, journalist, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism, London dcohen@bmj.com Key scientists advising the World Health Organization on planning for an… Read More ›
Most patients survive common thyroid cancer regardless of treatment
2010 study posted for filing Contact: David Corriveau David.A.Corriveau@Dartmouth.edu 603-653-0771 JAMA and Archives Journals Individuals with papillary thyroid cancer that has not spread beyond the thyroid gland appear to have favorable outcomes regardless of whether they receive treatment within the… Read More ›
Scientists urge ministers: tell truth on ‘over-hyped’ flu vaccine
Jeremy Laurance Wednesday, 21 November 2012 The flu vaccine given to millions of people each year in Britain is “over-promoted” and “over-hyped” and the protection it offers against the seasonal illness has been exaggerated, scientists claim. Flu causes thousands… Read More ›
Pfizer can do no wrong, or at least not enough to get found guilty ( Off-guideline does not equate to off-label )
Suit Over Pfizer Lipitor Labels Gave Judge ‘Paine’ By ADAM KLASFELD BROOKLYN, N.Y. (CN) – A federal judge invoked Thomas Paine’s “Common Sense” in dismissing allegations that Pfizer illegally marketed its cholesterol-fighting drug Lipitor. In her fifth complaint against Pfizer… Read More ›
Long-term effects of statin therapy could lead to transient or permanent cognitive impairment
2009 study posted for filing Contact: Nick Zagorski nzagorski@asbmb.org 301-634-7366 American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Statins show dramatic drug and cell dependent effects in the brain Besides their tremendous value in treating high cholesterol and lowering the risk… Read More ›
Statins may worsen symptoms in some cardiac patients: those with diastolic heart failure (DHF) experienced the opposite effect, including increased dyspnea, fatigue, and decreased exercise tolerance.
2009 study posted for filing Contact: Jennifer Stawarz jstawarz@chestnet.org 847-498-8306 American College of Chest Physicians Although statins are widely used to prevent heart attacks, strokes, and other cardiovascular disorders, new research shows that the class of drugs may actually have… Read More ›
Commentary warns of unexpected consequences of proton pump inhibitor (Antacids) use in reflux disease : Multiple Serious Side effects
2009 study posted for filing Contact: Jessica Mikulski newsroom@entnet.org 703-535-3762 American Academy of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery Alexandria, VA – Despite being highly effective and beneficial for many patients, unexpected consequences are emerging in patients who are prescribed… Read More ›
BMJ editor urges Roche to fulfil promise to release Tamiflu trial data: Or anything that shows the drug does more good than harm.
Contact: Stephanie Burns sburns@bmjgroup.com 44-020-738-36920 BMJ-British Medical Journal BMJ editor urges Roche to fulfil promise to release Tamiflu trial data Journal launches open data campaign to compel greater accountability in healthcare In an open letter to company director, Professor Sir… Read More ›
GAO: FDA fails to follow up on unproven drugs ” FDA has never pulled a drug off the market due to a lack of required follow-up about its actual benefits”
2009 report posted for filing By MATTHEW PERRONE, AP Business Writer Matthew Perrone, Ap Business Writer WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration has allowed drugs for cancer and other diseases to stay on the market even when… Read More ›
Where’s the Science? The Sorry State of Psychotherapy ” not grounded in science”
2009 study posted for filing The prevalence of mental health disorders in this country has nearly doubled in the past 20 years. Who is treating all of these patients? Clinical psychologists and therapists are charged with the task, but… Read More ›
Study reveals 2/3 of prostate cancer patients do not need treatment
2009 study posted for filing Contact: Samantha Martin samantha.martin@liv.ac.uk 44-151-794-2248 University of Liverpool In the largest study of its kind, the international team of pathologists studied an initial 4,000 prostate cancer patients over a period of 15 years to further… Read More ›
Hormone therapy for prostate cancer patients with heart conditions linked to increased death risk : Doubles risk of dying
2009 study posted for filing Contact: Lori J. Shanks ljshanks@partners.org 617-534-1604 JAMA and Archives Journals Men with coronary artery disease-induced congestive heart failure or heart attack who receive hormone therapy before or along with radiation therapy for treatment of prostate… Read More ›
Macular Degeneration drugs may do More harm than good ( anti-VEGF drugs )
Scripps Research Institute Study Suggests Caution and Further Studies on Drugs Used to Treat Macular Degeneration LA JOLLA, CA – October 24, 2012 – Millions of people with “wet” macular degeneration are prescribed a class of medication known as anti-VEGF… Read More ›
Chemotherapys False Expectations : 69 percent of patients with advanced lung cancer and 81 percent of patients with advanced colorectal cancer did not understand that the chemotherapy they were receiving was not at all likely to cure their disease
Advanced Cancer Patients Overoptimistic About Chemotherapy’s Ability to Cure, Study Finds ScienceDaily (Oct. 24, 2012) — Findings from a nationwide study led by researchers at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute suggest that patients with advanced lung or colorectal cancer are frequently mistaken… Read More ›
Report: Prostate cancer screening has yet to prove its worth
2009 study posted for filing Contact: David Sampson david.sampson@cancer.org American Cancer Society ATLANTA—June 29, 2009—The recent release of two large randomized trials suggests that if there is a benefit of screening, it is, at best, small, says a new report… Read More ›
Why Antidepressants Don’t Live Up to the Hype
2009 report posted for filing By John Cloud Wednesday, May 06, 2009 In the ’90s, Americans grew fond of the idea that you can fix depression simply by taking a pill – most famously fluoxetine (better known as Prozac), though… Read More ›
Engineering Evil 