Deaths Stop Drug Trials

Another week, another drug problem in the headlines. Today on the frontpage of the Dallas Morning News the story is about a trial for a new diabetes drug being cancelled because it was killing people. The intensive treatment to lower blood sugar raised the risk of heart attack and stroke.

My favorite quote in the article is from Dr. Steven Nissen, a Cleveland Clinic cardiologist, who said "This suggests that there are things drugs do that we don't understand." As Homer Simpson would say, "Duh!"

Almost as good was the quote from Dr. Elizabeth Nabel, director of the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute, who said "We were obviously surprised, we were hoping for a positive outcome."

Sometimes the drug-dominated world of mainstream medicine is really scary.