The Ashya King case has gone global, and in the UK is assuming Mid Staffordshire proportions. The law, as interpreted, would appear to have totally overlooked the best interests of […]
Month: September 2014
Jim Murray: Undermining the European Medicines Agency’s transparency policy
As previously mentioned, the European Medicines Agency pulled back on its transparency policy when it published a new draft for consultation in May this year. The European Ombudsman and Glenis Willmott […]
Tony Waterston: Wars and peace in Kazakhstan
“What has International Physicians for the Prevention of Nuclear War (IPPNW) achieved anyway?” The question posed at a workshop on primary prevention needed answering, since the 21st IPPNW Congress meeting we […]
The BMJ Today: Debating transparency, in research and practice
The UK Faculty of Pharmaceutical Medicine lent its support for greater transparency in clinical trials, according to a News article on thebmj.com. President of the faculty Keith Bragman said, “We […]
Sally Norton: NHS hospitals—does a spoonful of sugar help the medicine go down?
At last, with health secretary Jeremy Hunt’s announcement of new measures being introduced to improve the standard of food in English hospitals, we may finally see better quality food in […]
Richard Smith: Why scientists should be held to a higher standard of honesty than the average person
Although it may seem harsh, I believe that scientists should be held to a higher standard of honesty than the average person. The consequence is that they will be punished […]
The BMJ Today: Two sureties—death and adverse events
“Although the numbers are elusive, we know that drugs do injure and kill.” So reminds our new columnist, the US family physician David Loxterkamp and founding director of the Seaport […]
Desmond O’Neill: Stethophones and barriers to effective care of older people
There is a long tradition in medicine of accepting a degree of mismatch between labels and the functions that they address. A classic example is the stethoscope, through which few of […]
Richard Lehman’s journal review—1 September 2014
NEJM 21-28 August 2014 Vol 371 711 I have a new little grandson called Timothy. He is lucky being born in August because respiratory syncytial virus generally lies low at […]
The BMJ Today: Questions over data underpinning beta blocker use in surgery and stroke management
In a highly critical analysis article on thebmj.com, two cardiologists call on the European Society of Cardiology (ESC) to revise its recent guidance about the use of beta blockers in […]