750 Health News Update

A relatively new cholesterol-lowering drug was recently tested against a very old one called niacin. To the researchers’ surprise, the old drug did better. We talk to one of the country’s leading cardiologists about the study and what it means for us.
Drug companies deliver truckloads of data to the FDA when they have a new drug up for approval. But once the drug is approved, they may negotiate hard to keep some of that data out of the “label”–the official prescribing information doctors consult. Isn’t there a better way for doctors to learn what they need to know about new drugs?
We take your questions about prescription drugs, over-the-counter medicines, dietary supplements and home remedies.
Guests:
Steven E. Nissen, MD, MACC, is Chairman of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation in Cleveland, Ohio. He is also Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner School of Medicine at Case Western Reserve University. The photo is of Dr. Nissen.
Lisa M. Schwartz, MD, MS, and Steven Woloshin, MD, MS, are with the Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, Hanover, NH and the Veterans Affairs Outcomes Group at the Veterans Affairs Medical Center in White River Junction, VT. Their article was published online Oct. 21, 2009 in The New England Journal of Medicine.