A study published in the Medical Journal of Australia found that a TV program questioning the link between statin use and cholesterol reduction resulted in more than 60,000 Australians reducing or discontinuing the medication.
A science program, Catalyst, aired on Australian TV raised questions on the cholesterol-lowering effect of statins in October 2013, claiming that the benefits of this class of cholesterol-lowering agents had been exaggerated.
Researchers at the University of Sydney subsequently analyzed medical records from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme, a program by the Australian Government that provides subsidized prescription drugs to residents. The results were quite surprising. Of the 191,000 records viewed, 14,000 fewer people were found to have dispensed statins per week immediately following the airing of the program, the researchers reveal in their study published in the Medical Journal of Australia. Over an 8-month follow-up period, a total of 60,897 fewer people dispensed statins than expected.
The authors of the study and other experts in Australia warn about the widespread impact of such programs, especially since a number of patients who stopped taking their medication were at high-risk for cardiovascular complications. Internal review by the program's broadcasting channel found a breach of impartiality standards and pulled the show from air, but the impact lasted, as revealed by the current study.
Read more at EurekAlert!: http://bit.ly/1IFcH90
Consumers should not eat precut cantaloupe if they do not know the source, as the number of illnesses and recalls tied to a deadly salmonella outbreak grows; the White House and the Department of Education urged schools to take proactive steps to prevent youth drug use; a study published this week found a high prevalence of arrhythmia in patients with long COVID.
Read More
Understanding the Unmet Need for Therapies to Treat Rare Bile Duct Cancer
May 24th 2022On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we bring you an excerpt of an interview with a co-chair of the 2022 Cholangiocarcinoma Foundation (CCF) annual conference, held earlier this year, about the significant unmet therapy needs facing most patients with this rare cancer.
Listen
Study Finds ASCT Similarly Safe, Effective in Older and Younger Patients With Multiple Myeloma
November 30th 2023A real-world study suggests high-dose chemotherapy followed by autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT) is feasible for appropriately selected elderly patients, with similar results seen in older and younger patients.
Read More
Study Highlights BMP7 as a Potential Therapeutic Target for Ovarian Cancer
November 30th 2023High Bone Morphogenetic Protein 7 (BMP7) expression was significantly associated with aggressive phenotypes, including advanced grade, International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics stage, residual disease, and adverse overall survival.
Read More