Sometimes medicine can be confusing and scary at the same time. And, fraud doesn't help.
For several years, there has been concern that thimerosol (a mercury compound) used as a preservative in vaccines was a cause of autism in children. That theory has been proven false - thimerosol has been removed from childrens vaccines, yet the rate of diagnosis of autism and related disorders has continued to rise.
Now comes the news that British physician Andrew Wakefield (who published one of the most frequently cited articles on this subject) simply made up some of the data he used to write his paper! There appears to have been no evidence to support the thimerosol - autism link in the first place!
And, the number of children affected by largely preventable diseases appears to have been impacted by this fraud: The number of confirmed cases of measles increased from 56 in 1998 to 1,348 last year.
Written by Scott W. Yates, MD, MBA, MS, FACP
February 12, 2009
February 2, 2009
FDA Panel Says "Ditch Darvocet"
A FDA review panel recommended last Friday (by an unusually narrow 14 - 12 margin) that the agency remove the pain medications Darvon and Darvocet from the US Market. Darvon was first sold in the United States in 1957 and more than 20 million prescriptions were written in 2007 for Darvon and Darvocet.
Darvon and Darvocet contain propoxyphene. This is a narcotic but it is not a potent pain killer. When used as approved, propoxyphene is generally safe. However, it isn't dramatically more effective than Tylenol alone. Darvon and Darvocet are frequently abused and when combined with alcohol or other medications or drugs, they can be dangerous.
My take on this situation is that generally, less drugs are better than more. But, sometimes medications are necessary and appropriate and when they are, the benefit of taking a medication should outweigh its risks. Darvocet works for some people and when it does, and they use it correctly, it is a safe and effective tool. Like most medicines, Darvocet and Darvon can be dangerous if misused (intentionally or otherwise).
Written by Scott W. Yates, MD, MBA, MS, FACP
Darvon and Darvocet contain propoxyphene. This is a narcotic but it is not a potent pain killer. When used as approved, propoxyphene is generally safe. However, it isn't dramatically more effective than Tylenol alone. Darvon and Darvocet are frequently abused and when combined with alcohol or other medications or drugs, they can be dangerous.
My take on this situation is that generally, less drugs are better than more. But, sometimes medications are necessary and appropriate and when they are, the benefit of taking a medication should outweigh its risks. Darvocet works for some people and when it does, and they use it correctly, it is a safe and effective tool. Like most medicines, Darvocet and Darvon can be dangerous if misused (intentionally or otherwise).
Written by Scott W. Yates, MD, MBA, MS, FACP
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