Category: Meds

How were we duped and what can we do about the opioid overdose crisis?

Who among us as physicians and prescribers, not to mention the millions of families who have been affected and suffered deep personal loss due to the current crisis and record overdose deaths, regardless of whether the opioid was legally written or ill…

Caught in the middle: How health insurance companies influence cancer drug selection

Patients may find themselves caught in the middle between their health insurance company and their oncologist when it comes to selecting the drugs used to treat their cancer. Why is this? The American Cancer Society explains biologic drugs (derived fro…

Timely treatment decisions: the promise of surrogate markers

Driving around, searching for children’s Tylenol and a pharmacy that had the antibiotics my son needed, was not how I wanted to spend the holidays. I am not alone – shelves are bare, and antibiotics are in short supply as we head into the n…

The promise of patient-centered biotechnology

An excerpt from Inside The Orphan Drug Revolution: The Promise of Patient-Centered Biotechnology. Pre-revolutionary stirrings Every revolution rises up against an order in need of reform. For the orphan drug revolution, that order was the pharmaceutica…

The promises and limits of a fentanyl vaccine

“Fentanyl Vaccine a Potential ‘Game Changer’ for Opioid Crisis,” declares a Medscape headline. “Fentanyl Vaccine Delivers Promising Results in Trial,” reports an industry website. “A Vaccine Against Deadly Fent…

A rush to judgment on acetaminophen?

Less than a year ago, a position paper/meta-analysis was published whose authors concluded that the pain reliever acetaminophen, and products containing this compound, were contraindicated in pregnancy as they could result in premature or stillborn bir…

Prudence and promise in psychedelic-assisted therapy

Psychedelic-assisted therapy (PAT) represents one of the most promising developments in psychiatry in decades. The treatment typically involves the infusion of a compound such as LSD, psilocybin, or MDMA during an extended therapy session with licensed…

Think twice before prescribing opioids as a first-line treatment for pain

Everyone knows the terrible toll the opioid epidemic takes on our society. It doesn’t matter where you live and how wealthy or educated you are, no one is immune. I watched as a colleague tried to help a child struggling with addiction, spending …

Depriving women of this drug is good public health

It’s a public health win that on October 19th, an FDA Advisory Committee voted 14-1 to remove Makena, a drug intended to prevent preterm birth, from the market. The FDA usually follows the advice of its advisory committee, and the briefing docume…

Integrated care is the key to optimizing cancer outcomes

The American Cancer Society released its annual report on cancer statistics, showing that we have made clear and significant progress in treating numerous forms of cancer. The overall rate of death has declined steadily since 1991, translating to over …