March 20, 2008.
Captain Pill on the High Seas of Pharmaceuticals

I was interviewed last week by John Mack of the Pharma Marketing News (Before You Take That Pill: A 'Fair and Balanced' Critique?) who quoted me from my book 'Before You Take That Pill: Why the Drug Industry May be Bad for Your Health' as saying that "if you don't have multiple risk factors for heart disease, you don't have to get your cholesterol checked, and I don't care what anyone says." His comment was "isn't that treason?" Curious choice of words. So am I now the treasonous Captain Pill on the High Seas of Pharmaceuticals? You see with half of all Americans on prescription meds and one fourth recommended to take a statin not only are we swimming in a literal sea of pharmaceuticals, we are also actually swimming in pharmaceuticals (since Prozac and Lipitor are now physically in our drinking water, see my last post on "Pharmaceuticals in the Drinking Water") Since then I have been reviewing the evidence in my mind. Since the 'primary prevention' trials were all in patients with multiple risk factors for heart disease and showed only modest heart attack reduction with no effect on mortality, and since no studies have been done in men with high cholesterol without risk factors, there is no justification to be putting millions of these men on statins. So now back to the question of treason. That is something you would say about someone in the army, navy, air force or marines. So which branch am I in? I guess the parallel to the military-industrial complex in this country is the medical-industrial complex, which would include the four 'services' of the Hospitals, insurance companies, hospitals, and doctors. I'm not blaming John for using the word 'treason'. After all he is a journalist, not a doctor. But he tapped in to the prevailing view, that we have a common story we need to stick to. It's called the 'standard of care' and it's dictated by 'expert consensus' and 'practice guidelines'. That's why 'treason' is a better description of it that 'an alternative interpretation of the evidence' (or even an actual review of the evidence). Well I guess I better shut up now and get ready to walk the plank.



My book 'Before You Take That Pill: Why the Drug Industry May be Bad for Your Health: Risks and Side Effects You Won't Find on the Label of Commonly Prescribed Drugs, Vitamins, and Supplements' is now available at amazon and at local Borders and Barnes and Noble book stores.

Doug Bremner, MD, is a physician
and researcher in Atlanta GA
and author of Before You Take That Pill: Why the Drug Industry May be
Bad for Your Health: Risks and Side Effects You Won't Find on the Label of Commonly Prescribed
Drugs, Vitamins and Supplements






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