Who What Why, September 7, 2017. Diana Zuckerman, president of the National Center for Health Research, points out that drug companies rely on a three-phase clinical trial process to gain FDA approval for their products. If RTT siphoned off patients with life-threatening illnesses from clinical trials, particularly for trials of medications serving limited populations with rare diseases, drug companies might find it even harder to enroll enough patients to complete them. And health insurers will not pay for drugs that lack FDA approval.
Most of these women aren’t just talking about body image; they are getting their implants removed because of their health. Breast implants can make some women so sick that removal is their best hope for feeling like themselves again. Several celebrities are trying to spread this information to the general public.
At the time the Institute of Medicine report was published in 1999, the major controversy about breast implants was whether it could cause connective-tissue diseases or autoimmune diseases. There were only 17 studies on the subject at the time, but the conventional wisdom was that these studies proved that breast implants are safe. However, a careful review of the results paints a different picture.
August 10, 2017. We support the efforts of the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) to re-evaluate its 2012 grade “D” recommendation in light of new results from a large study, the United Kingdom Collaborative Trial of Ovarian Cancer Screening (UKCTOCS). This study confirmed that screening for ovarian cancer does not decrease deaths from ovarian cancer in asymptomatic women who are not known to be at high risk for ovarian cancer. Based on the USTSPF’s robust review of the literature, we agree that there is insufficient evidence to support screening for asymptomatic women.
August 9, 2017. The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) last reviewed the literature in 2009 and reaffirmed their “A” grade for HBV screening for women at their first prenatal visit. We support the efforts of the USPSTF to carefully draft a research plan to guide the systematic review of available evidence for universal screening and case management programs to prevent vertical transmission of the infection as well as reduced rates of morbidity and mortality. We also endorse the efforts of the USPSTF to obtain updated information on the harms and benefits of universal screenings and case management programs for women with Hepatitis B.