Monday, September 13, 2004

For Honest Reports of Drug Trials
New York Times editorial - "A vast majority of patients and doctors would surely agree that pharmaceutical companies ought to reveal the results of clinical trials that suggest that their drugs don't work or may even be harmful. Yet all too often such results are either suppressed or are buried in obscure locations, and only glowing reports are widely disseminated. This week a coalition of leading medical journals announced a publication policy that should help rectify the problem but is hardly a full solution. The industry's trade group, meanwhile, offered a weak plan to quell the controversy without requiring much reform. In response to legal pressures and a growing credibility crisis, some drug companies have agreed to disclose at least some of their trials and findings in public databases. And the trade group, Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, said it was creating a Web site where members could post summaries of trial results. The problem with such voluntary approaches is that decisions on what to report will be left to the companies, whose financial self-interest is what got us into this mess in the first place..." [Viewing New York Times resources requires registration, which is free].  
  

Problems soaring among teenagers (UK)
Evening Standard story - "Teenagers are now far more likely to suffer behavioural problems and depression than 25 years ago, a disturbing new report has found. The mental health of young people has declined sharply and the rate of emotional problems such as anxiety and depression has increased by 70 per cent among adolescents. According to the biggest study of its kind conducted in Britain, the chances that 15-year-olds will have behavioural problems such as lying, stealing and being disobedient have more than doubled. The study, Time Trends in Adolescent Mental Health, found boys are more likely to suffer behavioural problems and girls more likely to experience emotional problems. However, the study, to be published in the Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry in November, found no increase in fighting, bullying or other aggressive behaviour..."