MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'carl elliott'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:59:23 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5130749&cid=t_393943_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fnew-york-times-piece-about-plastic-surgery-gets-people-talking%2F2011.08.14 Monday’s New York Times tweeted a headline – “Never Too Old for Plastic Surgery” – about this story. While I’m very happy for the 83-year old woman in the piece for her happiness over her “new” $8,000 breasts, the piece was framed like an expensive billboard for plastic surgeons – only it didn’t cost them anything. The Times gave away the advertising space. The story states: “There are as many reasons for getting plastic surgery as there are older patients, experts say”…and…”some are simply sick of slackened jowls, jiggly underarms and saggy eyelids.” There are a few other perspectives in the middle of the piece: “Some critics question whether the benefits are worth the risks, which may be... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5130749 Sun, 14 Aug 2011 21:00:43 +0100 5130749 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4759039&cid=t_393943_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FlVjvoT8rNwo%2F The sad case of Dan Markingson appears to have no end. The latest twist is playing out as an issue of academic freedom at the University of Minnesota where, seven years ago, researchers ran a clinical trial in which the 26-year-old participated. But the circumstances surrounding his participation and subsequent death led to widely publicized allegations the university put its own interests first. One university researcher also consulted for AstraZeneca, which sells the drug and sponsored the study. And researchers were allegedly under pressure to bolster enrollment. These details emerged following a lawsuit filed by Markingson’s mother, who objected to her son’s participation because he was already mentally ill and possibly incompetent, but was enrolled anyway. Her lawsuit went nowher... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4759039 Wed, 27 Apr 2011 15:16:18 +0100 4759039 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4450518&cid=t_393943_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FSxHKLul2w-s%2F Nearly seven years ago, 26-year-old Dan Markingson killed himself while participating in a clinical trial at the University of Minnesota, where researchers were studying the Seroquel antipsychotic. And the circumstances surrounding his participation and subsequent death led to widely publicized allegations that the university put its own interests ahead of the patient. How so? One reason - an academic researcher also consulted for AstraZeneca, which markets the pill and sponsored the study. And the researchers were allegedly under pressure to bolster enrollment. These details emerged following a lawsuit filed by Markingson’s mother, who objected to her son’s participation because he was already mentally ill and possibly incompetent, but was enrolled anyway (background here). H... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4450518 Tue, 08 Feb 2011 21:21:42 +0100 4450518 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4200563&cid=t_393943_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fplaying-doctor-profile-of-a-medical-ghostwriter%2F2010.11.24 Dr. Carl Elliott writes about ghostwriting in the December issue of The Atlantic magazine, “Playing Doctor: How to spin pharmaceutical research.” He profiles a young scientist (“David”) who became a ghostwriter about 10 years ago. Excerpts: “Ghostwritten articles surface again and again in litigation (in cases concerning Vioxx, Fen-Phen, Zyprexa, Premarin, Neurontin, and Zoloft, to mention just a few). Years before the Avandia scandal, GlaxoSmithKline paid $2.5 million to the State of New York to settle a lawsuit alleging that it had concealed studies suggesting an increased risk of suicidal behavior in children and teenagers taking Paxil, most notoriously in an article “authored” by Dr. Martin Keller of Brown University. One 2003 study in The Brit... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4200563 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:00:19 +0100 4200563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4031503&cid=t_393943_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fb81B6yhakqM%2F The last several years have seen increasing concern over ethics in the pharmaceutical industry – from the way clinical trials are run and trial data is disclosed to promotional activities aimed at consumers and interactions with the medical community and universities. Among the many observers who make a living by witnessing this unfolding morass is Carl Elliott, a professor at the Center for Bioethics at the University of Minnesota, who has published a book called “White Coat, Black Hat: Adventures on the Dark Side of Medicine.” We spoke with him about his observations and insights… Pharmalot: Do we live in unethical times? Elliott: You could definitely make that argument, although the nature of what’s going on is not really new. When I was writing about the drug reps, I asked th... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4031503 Mon, 04 Oct 2010 15:00:53 +0100 4031503 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3899634&cid=t_393943_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FQV82PczRStE%2F What happens when a university is bound up in the outcome of an industry clinical trial? What does it say when university researchers are actively recruiting patients for a trial while also accepting consulting or speaking fees from the same drugmaker sponsoring the study? Is the research furthering commercial needs more so than scientific needs? And how are patients protected in such situations? These are among the questions explored in a sobering piece in Mother Jones magazine by University of Minnesota bioethicist Carl Elliott. He focuses on the sorry plight of Mary Weiss, who lost her 26-year-old son, Dan, while he was enrolled - over her strenuous objections - in a trial at the University of Minnesota (yes, the same school) to compare AstraZeneca’s Seroquel antipsychotic with ri... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3899634 Tue, 24 Aug 2010 13:58:26 +0100 3899634 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3895955&cid=t_393943_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F08%2Fmaking-killing-new-carl-elliott-article.html There's a fascinating article by Carl Elliott in the current issue of Mother Jones. It's called "Making a Killing," and it shows how clinical trials have become marketing exercises for the pharmaceutical industry, sometimes at the expense of patients' lives. (You can read the article here, but you will need to complete a free registrations process).The focus is on Astra Zeneca, maker of the antipsychotic Seroquel. Elliott tells the tragic story of Dan Markingson, a young man with schizophrenia who killed himself in a particularly gruesome way in May of 2004. At the time, Markingson was enrolled in an Astra Zeneca-funded study called the CAFE study. The acronym CAFE stands for "Comparison of Atypicals in First Episode of Psychosis." As the name implies, this study randomly assigned patients... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3895955 Mon, 23 Aug 2010 16:57:00 +0100 3895955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3786987&cid=t_393943_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Farticle-boasts-new-birth-centers-luxury-hotel-amenities%2F2010.07.25 Here’s the Minneapolis Star Tribune headline: “Buffalo birthing center has the latest amenities.” And here’s an excerpt: Starting in August, new mothers will have a chance to multi-task in style in Buffalo, Minn. The local hospital is unveiling its new birth center, where every patient room will be equipped with an iPod docking station, a flat-screen TV and DVD player, a soaking tub, rocking chair and refrigerator — oh, and a place for the baby to sleep, too. Buffalo Hospital has spent $7.1 million to turn its old labor and delivery unit into a state-of-the-art facility to appeal to a new generation of patients. At maternity wards around the country, that increasingly means catering to patients and families as if they’re at “a luxury hotel,” ... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3786987 Sun, 25 Jul 2010 15:00:31 +0100 3786987