A risk factor is, among other things, an aspect of personal behaviour or lifestyle that, on the basis of epidemiologic evidence, is known to be associated with health related conditions considered important to prevent (1). A new behaviour may be observed in the general population of western countries; a behaviour related to the way patients use medical services […]
The BMJ Today: Cancer drugs, BMJ awards, and challenges for the NHS
• Donald Light and Joel Lexchin write about the easy ride cancer drugs get in the approval process. They point to three weaknesses: trials on cancer drugs are more often unblinded and non-randomised; these drugs are more often approved through accelerated pathways; and, finally, they often use surrogate endpoints. The result is very expensive medicines […]
David Payne at WIRED Health 2015
9.20am: I’m in London at WIRED Health 2015, “exploring the future of healthcare.” Already I’ve bumped into a would-be investor and I’ve just had a “power shot” of grapefruit juice spiked with chili. Now I’m browsing the exhibitor stands, which includes live demo of the elegant cream leather Tao chair which, according to its inventor and Tao Wellness […]
David Kerr: Dr Uber
The hot topic in the technology world at the moment is the so called “sharing economy.” A great deal of money is being made by companies, such as Uber and Airbnb, where the internet is used to match buyers and sellers without the need for the huge upfront costs of purchasing, for example, cars and […]
Jane Morris: Making the glorification of anorexia a crime
I make a point of telling students that an eating disorder is an illness, not a crime. It’s a more controversial statement these days. Some of my patients continue to argue that anorexia is their lifestyle choice rather than an involuntary illness, and I’ve just learned that the lower house of the French Parliament has […]
Richard Saitz: An EBM challenge—What to do when clear cut evidence doesn’t exist
This blog is part of a series of blogs linked with BMJ Clinical Evidence, a database of systematic overviews of the best available evidence on the effectiveness of commonly used interventions. The case of so-called “moderate” drinking It is “bad” enough when we have randomized trials to guide practice. What I mean is, of course […]
The BMJ Today: Elders, teens, and tobacco in the modern era
• Jonathan Gornall writes about the tobacco industry’s likely opposition to new UK plain cigarette packaging laws in the powerful feature, “Slaying the dragon: how the tobacco industry refuses to die.” In the article, he provides powerful insight into the industry’s methods for staying alive. These include development of new products, such as e-cigarettes, and working […]
Owen Bowden-Jones: New drugs, new harms, new clinical guidance
Mindmelt, Annihilation, Black Mamba, and Kronic. Welcome to the world of novel psychoactive substances (NPS), or so called “legal highs.” The past five years has seen an unprecedented increase in the number of these psychoactive drugs. European figures reveal that over 100 new NPS were detected across EU drug markets during 2014 alone. That number […]
Jocalyn Clark: Rana Plaza survivors—let down by some, lifted up by others
As the two year anniversary of the collapse of the Rana Plaza approaches—when over 1100 people were killed and 2500 injured, mostly women garment workers—the fight for compensation continues. The eight storey building outside Dhaka, which housed several clothing factories supplying major global brands, collapsed on 24 April 2013 in one of the world’s worst […]
Jon Stamford: Patients must help design clinical trials
It is a truth universally acknowledged that clinical trials are the bedrock upon which all medical progress is based. Without successful trials new medicines are not introduced, new treatments are not developed, and new understanding is not gleaned. The furtherance of knowledge hinges upon the successful design, execution, and interpretation of clinical trials. […]