Do you treat people in ways that haven’t been tested in large scale randomised trials (RCTs)? If so you’ve probably been called a quack, a fraud or worse. But are RCTS really the only let alone the best way to tell if what you are doing is safe and effective? In fact they are riddled with shortcomings and we badly need some other options. One possible alternative is Comparative Effectiveness Research (CER).
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Next week we will learn whether statins are going to be given to millions more healthy people. Normally such extensions of drug use are nodded through without a murmur but his time a serious challenge was raised. A fierce debate about whether this was a disastrous idea or welcome move to save the nation’s hearts. The result was a series of revelations about the tangled conflicts of interests surrounding these drugs. Questions that should lead to big changes in the way they are tested and guidelines drawn up. Read more in Hannah Sutter’s article…
Too long a big loser in the disease funding stakes, Alzheimer’s has recently been emerging from the shadows with a personal commitment from David Cameron for more money and two major conferences in London during the last six months. But a silver bullet is unlikely any time soon. Patient numbers will only start dropping when funding bodies learn the lessons from the latest thinking about how best to tackle antibiotic resistance – don’t just rely on a drug solution.
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