FSM News and Articles
Can we have confidence in the Therapeutic Goods Administration?: “Two recent decisions by the TGA have further reduced the confidence that health professionals and consumers have in the regulation of complementary medicines. The first was allowing complementary medicines as a reward for people vaccinated against COVID-19. The second was approving a TGA assessed (Aust L(A)) application for Caruso’s Prostate EZE Max.
General
The ease of selling bunk for weight loss: “Lax regulations make it possible to sell nonsense that has no real benefits. The standard allows just about anything that doesn’t cause obvious harm to fly into the market. Drugstores are happy to make a buck from this nonsense. Consumers lap it up.”
Is it more infectious? Is it spreading in schools? This is what we know about the Delta variant and kids: In a largely ‘post-vaccination’ society, the UK is seeing a sharp increase in COVID-19 cases in younger people. Is this just due to the protective effect of the vaccine in older people (who have higher vaccine coverage) or could the Delta variant be particularly transmissible in young people? Importantly, should Australia be doing more to prepare for school outbreaks?
‘Egg timer’ test of fertility marketed ‘misleadingly’, study finds: A popular ‘egg timer’ test marketed to women trying to conceive could lure women into a false sense of security, or cause women to seek unnecessary fertility treatments, new research finds. The anti-Mullerian hormone (AMH) test is useful to predict responses to future fertility treatments. However, experts say the test is marketed as predictive of future fertility – which is not the case. Fertility providers offering the test often made unsupported claims about what the test can show, possibly in an effort to encourage women to seek and pay for additional fertility treatments. “The biggest concern is this test is being marketed to women who just want reassurance their fertility is normal. The tests will not be able to tell them anything in this situation about their current or future fertility.” [The research] warned “women who use the AMH test to plan timing of pregnancy may get a false sense of security about delaying pregnancy if their level is in the normal or high range and give women with low readings unwarranted anxiety about their ability to conceive”.
Today’s Abused Health Concept
Integrative researchers using unapproved unvalidated cancer tests. ‘Absolutely scandalous’ – Experts raise concerns over unapproved cancer test used in trial: The National Institute of Integrative Medicine has a run more than 2700 tests in a clinical trial testing for circulating tumour cells. But NIIM charges patients $850 for the unvalidated test, and then also informs the patient (via their doctor) about the results, and advises them to try integrative methods like “curcumin, green tea, garlic extract, vitamin D, grape seed, lycopene, citrus pectin, medicinal mushroom extract, black cumin seed, artemisinin, and other immune stimulating nutrients”.
Experts have slammed the trial as unethical. “This raises serious ethical questions about using an unvalidated test to give medical advice,” Professor Rasko said. “Any pay-to-participate clinical trial of an unproven clinical test is almost always unethical in my opinion.” “There are legitimate studies on circulating tumour DNA,” said Professor David Vaux. “This is not that kind of study.” The National Health and Medical Research Council, the Australian government’s top science body, has no authority to investigate clinical trials; any allegations of wrongdoing must be made to the institute itself. The trial’s existence demonstrates how weak Australia’s clinical trial regulations are, Professor Vaux said. As long as the trials are approved by a human research ethics committee, “you can do anything”.