[Vince Ferrer]

Good article. There are many ways for good science to get corrupted or fall through the cracks. The way we publish scientific papers, while good enough for a hundred years ago, really ought to be redesigned. Not only is there bias towards positive results coming from manufacturers invested in the product, but there are biases towards positive results in publications as well. This area could stand a lot of reform, although I am not sure of the government's role. A lot of this could be open sourced as well with more oversight and less corruption.

[yldstrk]

I almost croaked when my ENT prescribed a new “miracle” antibiotic for a sinus infection: Biaxin. Didn’t work and if my sinus had exploded from being full of pus, my brain would have been fried. The doc had to cure me the old fashioned way, drilling a hole through the brow bone and vacuuming the goo out.

A friend of mine, also an ENT, said “nobody got any better” on Biaxin, but “the salesman was so nice”

[hinckley buzzard]

Reboxetine was refused approval by the US FDA for the reason that efficacy was not demonstrated. It has not been approved for antidepressant use in the USA as a result. The FDA action btw was in 2001.

This English "doctor" didn't do much homework apparently, as a five minute search would have enlightened him on the FDA findings. If he was too arrogant to pay attention to the FDA then he is simply negligent.