Over the last few decades we have become used to the questionable practices of drug companies when profits are at stake. Recent reports on the actions of two companies still have the potential to shock. Genzyme (part of Sanofi) is applying for a licence for their drug alemtuzumab for the treatment […]
Category: Guest writers
Kasia Malinowska-Sempruch: An opportunity for EU member states to save money and lives
In the coming months, officials will sign the next EU drugs strategy providing a drug policy framework for EU institutions and member states. Past drug strategies have called for a careful evaluation of “best practices”—something the European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction (EMCDDA) does admirably well. But when it comes to reducing HIV, […]
Gabriel Scally: Sweet black angel
Back in my early days as a radical medical student (a small, select group in the Belfast of the early 1970s) one of the international figures I admired greatly was Angela Davis. I was amazed and delighted to find her billed as the main speaker at the closing session of the American Public Health Association’s […]
Khalid Ali: Amour—an award winning film talks candidly about life after a stroke
A new film, Amour, which deservedly won the Palme d’Or at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, throws a new light into the harsh realities of the lives of stroke patients and their carers once they leave hospital. Georges (Jean-Louis Trintignant) and Anne (Emmanuelle Riva) are retired music teachers in their late eighties leading an independent […]
Gabriel Scally: If it isn’t controversial it isn’t important
A standing ovation greeted every paper delivered at one of the sessions I attended at the American Public Health Association annual meeting in San Francisco. I thought the first paper or two were good, but the standing ovations seemed generous to a fault. Then it dawned on me that the session was organised by the […]
Nicola While: Time is running out for EU health legislation
The end of 2012 is the unofficial deadline for all legislative proposals to be published if EU decision makers stand any chance of finalising debate on the issue before the end of the current parliamentary term in mid 2014. This arbitrary cut off date means that any dossiers not published or not progressing rapidly by […]
Richard Smith: We need more doctor entrepreneurs
The NHS, UK PLC, and the wider world will all benefit if we have more doctor entrepreneurs willing to take risks and start up companies. Starting up a company can be exhilarating, but it’s also complex and exhausting. Healthbox has been founded to help health start ups, and last week it’s managing director, Nick Rosa, […]
Michael Dixon: The quest for healthy ageing
Without adequate focus from commissioners, ageing risks becoming an unsustainable burden for the UK. Achieving “healthy ageing” is one of the UK’s most pressing challenges. With an ageing population experiencing multiple long-term conditions and pressure on public spending, the need to promote healthy ageing across the continuum of care has never been so great. […]
David Kerr: Pooky night
When I was growing up in Scotland, celebrating Halloween was a major event in the calendar and something to look forward to at this grim time of year. Everyone got dressed up (to go “guising”) and participating households carved lanterns out of turnips (a Scottish turnip is an English swede) rather than the now ubiquitous […]
Richard Smith: Meet and learn from Dr Twitter
At a meeting in Copenhagen earlier this week Bertalan Mesko was introduced as “the world leader in social media and medicine.” After listening to him and looking at some of his websites I decided that this was not an exaggeration. If you want to be up to the minute on social media and medicine you […]