Popular antidepressant neither safe
nor effective for teens
Depressed teens shouldn't take the widely used
antidepressant paroxetine as it is neither safe nor effective, as per a
reanalysis of an influential study originally published in 2001. The new
results contradict the original research findings that portrayed paroxetine as
an effective and safe treatment for children and adolescents with major
depression.
It is the first trial
to be reanalyzed and published by The BMJ under an initiative called RIAT
(Restoring Invisible and Abandoned Trials), which encourages abandoned or misreported
studies to be published or formally corrected to ensure doctors and patients
have complete and accurate information to make treatment decisions.
The 2001 study funded by SmithKline Beecham, now
GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), was criticized by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)
in 2002. Yet, that year, over two million prescriptions were written for
children and adolescents in the United States. In 2012, GSK was fined a record
three billion dollars in part for fraudulently promoting paroxetine.
Using previously confidential trial documents, they
reanalyzed the original data and found that neither paroxetine nor high dose
imipramine was more effective than placebo in the treatment of major depression
in adolescents. The authors considered the increase in harms with both drugs to
be clinically significant.
They conclude that paroxetine was ineffective and unsafe in
this study.
The reanalysis illustrates the necessity of making primary
trial data and protocols available to increase the rigour of the evidence base,
say the authors.
Fiona Godlee, The BMJ Editor-in-Chief, says publication of
the reanalyzed data sets the record straight and shows the extent to which drug
regulation is failing people. It also shows that the public and clinicians do
not have the unbiased information they need to make informed decisions.
The study appears in The BMJ.
Source: www.zeenews.india.com
21.09.2015
Large tableware may make you obese
Large-sized tableware,
portions,and packages lead to people consuming more than they actually wish to,
a new study suggests.
Eliminating large-sized portions from the diet could reduce energy intake in
adults by up to 16 percent (around 279 kilocalories per day) to 29 percent
(around 527 kcal per day), the Cambridge University research said.
Overeating increases the risks of heart disease, diabetes,
and cancer which are among the leading causes of ill health and premature
death.
"It may seem obvious that the larger the portion size,
the more people eat, but until this systematic review the evidence for this
effect has been fragmented, so the overall picture has been unclear," said
co-lead researcher Gareth Hollands.
"Helping people to avoid 'overserving' themselves or
others with larger portions of food or drink by reducing their size,
availability and appeal in shops, restaurants and in the home, is likely to be
a good way of helping lots of people to reduce their risk of overeating,"
Hollands added.
"The evidence is compelling now that actions that reduce
the size, availability and appeal of large servings can make a difference to
the amount people eat and drink," said co-lead researcher Ian Shemilt.
The findings were published in the Cochrane Database of
Systematic Reviews, a leading resource for systematic reviews in health care.
Source: www.zeenews.india.com
21.09.2015
To succeed
you must first improve, to improve you must first practice, to practice you
must first learn, and to learn you must first fail
Wesley
Woo
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