-
Does direct-to-consumer drug advertising have an effect on prescribing?
Does direct to consumer advertising, allowed in the United States but not in Canada, have an effect on prescribing? The study from California’s Western University of Health Sciences in partnership with Ontario’s Institute for Clinical Evaluative Sciences (ICES) and Yale University in Connecticut was published in The New England Journal of Medicine on March 30,…
tagged:
-
Most cases of sinusitis do not require antibiotics
Should adults receive a prescription for an antibiotic if they have an acute sinus infection that has persisted for seven to 10 days? What are the outcomes of antibiotic use in adults? An analysis of this issue was published in the March 15, 2008 issue of The Lancet. Dr. James Young, PhD, Basel Institute for…
tagged:
-
Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear
Original broadcast date: April 20, 2008 We are the safest and healthiest human beings who ever lived, and yet irrational fear is growing, with deadly consequences — such as the 1,595 Americans killed when they made the mistake of switching from planes to cars after September 11. In part, this irrationality is caused by those…
tagged:
-
Access Delayed, Access Denied: Waiting For New Medicines
In March 2007, we spoke with Brett Skinner of the Fraser Institute about Canadians’ access to new medications. We had had several organizations mention the difficulties and frustrations they have regarding medications that could provide better outcomes and yet are delayed in the approval process. Brett Skinner, Fraser Institute Director of Health, Pharmaceutical and Insurance…
-
Ontario Health Ministry limits coverage for Hepatitis B medications
Chronic hepatitis B affects an estimated 230,000-290,000 people in Canada. Though there is a range of new effective antiretroviral treatments that can help reduce disease complications, the estimated 80,000 – 100,000 chronic hepatitis B patients in Ontario have only limited options paid for by the Ontario Drug Benefit Program. Last week the British Columbia government…
tagged:
-
Cervical cancer screening: Paps are good, DNA may be better
Original broadcast date: March 30, 2008 The PAP test has been in existence for over 60 years. It is a screening test for cervical cancer and has the potential to detect precancerous changes, as well as to detect early stage disease and decrease cancer mortality. Although this test is credited with reducing cancer mortality, researchers…
tagged:
-
Oral appendectomies: removing the appendix through the mouth
Original broadcast date: March 30, 2008 In mid March 2008, surgeons at UC San Diego Medical Center performed what is the first removal of a diseased appendix through the mouth in the United States. One of the first reactions and questions from people who hear this story is amazement and wonder how the surgery was…
tagged:
-
The Sunnybrook Prostate Cancer Risk Calculator
Original broadcast date: March 23, 2008 A comprehensive, clinical nomogram tool, the Sunnybrook Prostate Cancer Risk Calculator – the first to use all known risk factors for prostate cancer – is available online to help men determine individual prostate cancer risk in consultation with their primary care physician. A nomogram is a statistical model to…
tagged: