Headlines: May 5, 2010
by Meg Larkin
In health policy news, residency programs and medical schools are making renewed efforts to teach students about the cost of care. Until recently, most medical schools and residency programs gave students little to no information about the cost or ordering additional tests. While many residents were aware generally of what additional tests cost, the costs of medical care had not been emphasized in residency programs. According the New York Times to, escalating medical bills and the focus of the health care debate on cost control are forcing medical schools to take a more pro-active approach to educating future doctors on the cost of care. However, medical schools and residency programs have been slow to take up a more cost-focused approach to medical education. The Times emphasized that schools have faced barriers to embracing cost education including older faculty who aren’t educated in health care economics, and structural barriers in the design of medical education.
In global health news, a new study has found that Vitamin A may have little or no impact on mother and infant mortality in developing countries. A new study from Ghana, reported in The Lancet this week, found that giving mothers Vitamin A capsules did not improve mortality rates among mothers or babies. The study in Ghana followed an earlier study in Nepal, which linked vitamin A with lower mortality rates. The Nepalese study had already been called in to question because many of the mothers had been dying of things unrelated to Vitamin A. Researchers suggest that a better way to improve mother and infant health may be to focus on providing food to expectant mothers, rather than vitamin pills.
In regulatory news, the F.D.A. has refused to approve a new drug designed to treat a rare and fatal lung disease. On Tuesday, the agency declined to approve InterMune’s new drug for idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, which results in severe scarring of the lungs, and eventually death. There are currently no approved treatments for the disease outside of a lung transplant. According to the New York Times, “The data on the drug’s effectiveness posed a dilemma for both the advisory committee and the F.D.A. itself because the drug worked in one clinical trial but not in a second. The F.D.A. usually requires two positive clinical trials for approval.” The drug is currently sold in Japan for the same disease, and InterMune is hoping that preliminary data from use in Japan may eliminate the need for another American trial.
In other FDA news, the agency has said that the plant that made the Johnson & Johnson medications recalled this week did not have proper quality control. The F.D.A, when inspecting the facility, found that although Johnson & Johnson had received numerous customer complaints, they had failed to take action. The drugs subject to recall include a number of over the counter pediatric medications, and while the F.D.A. has said the risk of illness from the drugs is low, consumers are advised to use generic versions for the time being. According to the Washington Post, “At the Pennsylvania plant, the FDA identified defects in McNeil's quality-control methods and manufacturing processes, including a failure to track customer complaints and spot trends that may signal systemic problems, a lack of written procedures and a failure to adequately train employees.”
Finally, researchers have found that the incidence of stomach cancer in young Caucasian people is increasing. While chances of developing stomach cancer are still very small for young people, there was a rise in cases last year. The Boston Globe reported that, “Dr. Jaffer Ajani, a digestive cancer specialist at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, said the increase in young white adults could be a statistical blip but needs to be investigated.”
Meg Larkin is a second year law student at Boston University. Please feel free to email her with any comments, questions, suggestions, or concerns.
