Comments on: Avandia: a very short history of a very bad drug https://ethicalnag.org/2013/01/21/avandia-a-very-short-history-of-a-very-bad-drug/ Marketing Ethics for the Easily Swayed Sun, 19 May 2013 00:36:01 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.com/ By: Carolyn Thomas https://ethicalnag.org/2013/01/21/avandia-a-very-short-history-of-a-very-bad-drug/comment-page-1/#comment-55677 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 14:06:43 +0000 http://ethicalnag.org/?p=10001#comment-55677 In reply to Dr. Joe Kosterich.

Thanks Dr. Joe – I can almost understand why patients might prefer taking drugs to lifestyle modification. But I don’t get doctors who do not even attempt to make healthy behaviour counselling part of their practice. Here’s an exception: a colleague who’s very overweight recently had to have knee surgery, but her doc refused to recommend the procedure until she lost 30 pounds (due to the known issues around healing/complications). Now THAT’S lifestyle modification advice for you! PS I’m working on a Tamiflu article . . .

]]> By: Dr. Joe Kosterich https://ethicalnag.org/2013/01/21/avandia-a-very-short-history-of-a-very-bad-drug/comment-page-1/#comment-55661 Tue, 22 Jan 2013 10:03:49 +0000 http://ethicalnag.org/?p=10001#comment-55661 Last year GSK settled with the Feds for $3 billion over marketing issues. Doesn’t seem to have fazed them.

The underlying problem is lack of transparency in research with spinning of results and negative studies going missing. You should do an article on Tamiflu, Carolyn.

The other issue is the view of doctors and patients that drug treatment is better than lifestyle modification in conditions like diabetes. This is aggravated every time “targets” are lowered.Governments insurers and various foundations are culpable here.

Companies need to be held to account but others involved in health also need to accept they have a role.

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