American Journal of Public Health, November, 2017. In a guest editorial by CPTF president Dr. Diana Zuckerman, she questions whether the FDA’s plan to get generic drugs on the market more quickly is enough to make prescription drugs – and health insurance—affordable.
The innovation of medical IT has the potential to save lives, but even a small “glitch” can harm patients. Our study found hundreds of recalls of flawed devices that affected millions of patients. Examples include electronic medical records that provide info about the wrong patient and “physician support” devices that miscalculate the dosage of medication. But the FDA is set to deregulate these devices.
Why do so many cancer patients take medications that drain their energy and joy of living but don’t benefit them? The answer: since 2008, FDA has not required new cancer drugs to prove they help patients live longer. After the drugs were approved, 18 were found to not extend patients’ lives at all, and only one of the drugs is proven to improve patients’ quality of life. But these ineffective cancer drugs cost just as much.
The disparity in breast cancer mortality between Black and White women has widened in our country’s most populated states. Cancer experts usually conclude that although there have been advances in breast cancer screening, prevention and treatment, these advances have not been equally available to Black and White patients.
Breast augmentation is the most common cosmetic surgery in the United States, and many women are also encouraged to choose breast implants for reconstruction after a mastectomy. However, studies in the United States and Scandinavian countries have shown that suicide rates are higher for women with implants.
Women’s Health Issues, April 2016. Numerous research reviews have concluded that suicide rates are higher for women with breast implants. In addition, there is evidence of an increased risk of suicide for women who undergo reconstruction with implants after mastectomy, compared to other mastectomy patients.