Volume 3 Issue 2 – November 2006
Protecting the Health of the Public – Institute of Medicine Recommendations on Drug Safety – An NEJM Perspective Article
B. M. Psaty and S. P. Burke, NEJM, October 26 2006, Vol 355 (17)
The client of the FDA is increasingly perceived to be in industry instead of the public. With its rapid evaluation program prior to approval, inability to systematically identify failures in drug-safety and conduct follow-ups post approval, the FDA is now embracing a new possibility of keeping its eye on it’s approved drugs throughout the drugs “life cycle.”
The Price of Sight-Ranibizumab, Bevacizumab, and the Treatment of Macular Degeneration – An NEJM Perspective Article
R. Steinbrook, NEJM, October 5 2006, Vol 355 (14)
The FDA’s approval of ranibizumab may have been a relief for those suffering from macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness for people aged 65 and older–except for the drug’s price tag. Ranibizumab, originally a part metastatic colon or rectal cancer treatment, has been now used to treat macular degeneration. Steinbrook discusses compares the drugs’ chemical structure, potential, and of course, price tag.
Prevention of Meningococcal Disease – An NEJM Clinical Practice Article
P. Gardner, NEJM, October 5 2006, Vol 355 (14)
A problem especially common among college students, meningitis is just one possibility of meningococcal diseases found in communities across the United States. Dr. Pierce Gardner gives an overview on the background of the disease, and discusses the current treatment options and the “areas of uncertainty” regarding vaccines against meningococcal diseases.
A First-Year in Medical School
Lester Leung, a first year student at Tulane Medical School, shares his experience in changing pace from college to medical training. Pre-medical students may have expected the academic work, the clinical challenges, but the greatest difficulty that he mentions may come as a surprise for many medical school hopefuls. What does shifting gear from college to start medical training entail?
Turning the Tide with Global Medicine
With mounting interest among medical students toward international health, many students have found opportunities to gain research and clinical experiences abroad. This is the generation of physicians raised with Mountains Beyond Mountains on their undergraduate required reading list, with medical foreign language classes in their course work, and the label of secular “medical missionaries” on their backs.
