Uncoupling Scientific Progress From Human Progress: How Did We Arrive At This Place? A Three Part Series.

Source: studentblogs.med.ed.ac.uk Mike Magee A fundamental principle in human physiology and homeostasis is the negative feedback loop. When the body produces too much of something, a negative signal is transmitted back to the source which limits further production until peripheral over-production declines. These systems of checks and balances have evolved over the millennia to protect us […]

The Future of Physician Prescribing: An Historical Perspective

Mike Magee The right to prescribe medicines has been a privilege granted by our society with near exclusivity to physicians. It has been actively protected from encroachment by physician organizations usually on the basis that the physicians education and training is clearly superior to others and translates into better prescribing decisions. This privilege has also […]

Substituting Robust Marketing For Scientific Evidence: Industry Pursues Legal “Free Hand” For Off-Label Promotion.

SOURCE: OFF LABEL: A FILM Mike Magee Over the past fourteen years, the pharmaceutical industry in the U.S. has successfully beaten back proposals to allow drug reimportation from Canada. These proposals were advanced by multiple members of Congress and big city mayors, and were supported by the majority of Americans. But President Bush, in negotiations […]

Testosterone: Another Case of Physician Enabled Drug Abuse

Ad From MedicineNet.com Mike Magee Is testosterone the next Oxycontin? It certainly has many of the same earmarks. It’s widespread abuse is being aided and abetted by sloppy prescribers. Its’ benefits are being exaggerated and its’ risks understated. It is associated with heavy marketing by pharmaceutical companies and a range of profit seeking intermediaries. And […]

An FDA Golden Voucher That’s Too Good To Be True.

Mike Magee Thirty-six years ago, as Ronald Reagan assumed the presidency, Congress cried “uncle”, in the face of America’s perceived global non-competitiveness in pharmaceuticals. They had been convinced by the persistent voices of Louis Lasagna and University of Chicago economist Sam Perltzman that there was a “drug lag” in America, and that it was the […]

Scientific Literacy – Critical in a Capitalistic, Free Society.

Mike Magee This week the FDA announced that they are finally banning Trans Fats though food companies have three years to comply, which means three years to lobby for delay or repeal of the ruling. Fundamental to the ineffectual delayed response has been purposeful confusion sown by the very organizations that invented these “foods” and […]

Note to FDA: Get On-Label Use Right, Before Liberalizing Off-Label Use.

Mike Magee “At my own medical center we have banned pharmaceutical reps from coming because we don’t think they are a good source of information. You don’t ask the barber if you need a haircut.” Dr. Rita Redberg, editor, JAMA Internal Medicine. What Dr. Redberg is protesting is the possibility of liberalizing the prohibition on […]

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