Bioethics
AHA Scientific Statement: Considerations for cardiovascular genetic and genomic research with marginalized racial and ethnic groups and indigenous peoples.
3 Aug, 2021 | 02:24h | UTCNews release: New statement provides path to include ethnicity, ancestry, race in genomic research – American Heart Association
COVID boosters for wealthy nations spark outrage.
2 Aug, 2021 | 00:21h | UTCCOVID boosters for wealthy nations spark outrage – Nature
Scientists Grapple with Question of COVID-19 Vaccine Booster, as Some Countries Push Ahead.
2 Aug, 2021 | 00:19h | UTC
Investigation: FDA allows drugs without proven clinical benefit to languish for years on accelerated pathway.
2 Aug, 2021 | 00:09h | UTCNews release: Investigation finds nearly half of drugs granted FDA ‘fast track’ approval lack proven clinical benefit – The BMJ
Commentary: Over 100 Drugs Given Speedy Approvals Still Lack Proof of Clinical Efficacy – MedPage Today (free registration required)
Moral uncertainty: A case study of Covid-19.
28 Jul, 2021 | 10:05h | UTCMoral uncertainty: A case study of Covid-19 – Patient Education and Counseling
Commentary on Twitter
https://twitter.com/trishgreenhalgh/status/1419648261661528072
Major medical groups call for employers to mandate Covid-19 vaccines for health care workers.
27 Jul, 2021 | 03:44h | UTCMajor medical groups call for employers to mandate Covid-19 vaccines for health care workers – CNN
Original Document: Joint Statement in Support of COVID-19 Vaccine Mandates for All Workers in Health and Long-Term Care
Commentaries on Twitter
.@IDSAInfo is proud to join 50+ major health care professional organizations & societies in calling for mandatory #COVID19 vaccination for all health care workers. Employer mandates are ethical, effective, and will help bring the pandemic to an end. https://t.co/tYz8OfWfQR
— Carlos del Rio (@CarlosdelRio7) July 26, 2021
Huge—nearly 60 major medical organizations, including the American Medical Association and the American Nurses Association, called on Monday for mandatory vaccination of health care workers.https://t.co/GIda7pT7w2
— Eric Feigl-Ding (@DrEricDing) July 26, 2021
COVID vaccines to reach poorest countries in 2023 — “Amid a COVID surge in Africa, vaccine promises from richer nations are not enough to bring an early end to the pandemic, experts say”.
26 Jul, 2021 | 02:51h | UTCCOVID vaccines to reach poorest countries in 2023 — despite recent pledges – Nature
WHO: Vaccine inequity undermining global economic recovery.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:53h | UTCNews release: Vaccine inequity undermining global economic recovery – World Health Organization
Dashboard: Global Dashboard for Vaccine Equity
Commentaries: Urgent need for COVID-19 vaccine equity – University of Oxford AND COVID-19 Vaccine Inequity Undermines Global Economic Recovery – Health Policy Watch
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
COVID-19 vaccine inequity is undermining 🌍 economic recovery. 🆕WHO, @UNDP and @BlavatnikSchool Dashboard on #VaccinEquity finds that low-income countries would add $38B to their GDP forecast if they had the same vaccination rate as high-income countrieshttps://t.co/BsYF2eYL1G
— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 22, 2021
Perspective | SARS-CoV-2 human challenge studies — establishing the model during an evolving pandemic.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:49h | UTCRelated: World’s first coronavirus “Human Challenge” study receives ethics approval in the UK (several texts on the subject) AND Are SARS-CoV-2 Human Challenge Trials Ethical? – “A clinical trial is underway in the UK in which young, healthy participants are exposed deliberately to SARS-CoV-2 to assess the viral inoculum needed to produce an infection and to test vaccine efficacy”.
Review: Ethics in extracorporeal life support.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:29h | UTCEthics in extracorporeal life support: a narrative review – Critical Care
Survey finds 8% of researchers have falsified or fabricated data.
23 Jul, 2021 | 10:28h | UTC8% of researchers in Dutch survey have falsified or fabricated data – Nature
Original study and commentaries: Landmark research integrity survey finds questionable practices are surprisingly common.
Related: Opinion | Time to assume that health research is fraudulent until proven otherwise? AND How a Data Detective Exposed Suspicious Medical Trials
Opinion | Kids aren’t just littler adults – here’s why they need their own clinical trials for a COVID-19 vaccine.
22 Jul, 2021 | 10:55h | UTC
ALA/ATS Response to Philip Morris International’s (PMI) Purchase of British Producer of Respiratory Treatments – “The announcement that PMI wants to acquire an inhaled medicine company is the latest reprehensible choice from a company that has profited from addicting users to its deadly products”.
20 Jul, 2021 | 10:12h | UTC
Perspective | Averting Future Vaccine Injustice.
16 Jul, 2021 | 11:04h | UTCAverting Future Vaccine Injustice – New England Journal of Medicine
Commentary on Twitter
As high-income countries have secured much of the #Covid19vaccine supply, many low-income countries have barely begun the immunization process. We need political courage to end vaccine injustice now and political vision to negotiate rules for averting future inequities.
— NEJM (@NEJM) July 15, 2021
Donuts, drugs, booze, and guns: what governments are offering people to take covid-19 vaccines – “Incentive programs do not target the trust relationship between the public and the providers”.
16 Jul, 2021 | 10:56h | UTC
Why aren’t diseases like HIV and malaria, which still kill millions of people a year, called pandemics? – “HIV and AIDS, tuberculosis, and malaria shouldn’t be labeled as “just” epidemics or endemic. They are pandemics that have been beaten in rich countries”.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:22h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
"HIV, TB, and malaria shouldn’t be labeled as “just” epidemics or endemic. They are pandemics that have been beaten in rich countries. Allowing them to persist elsewhere is a policy choice and a budgetary decision"https://t.co/MVCS960cN5
— Madhu Pai, MD, PhD (@paimadhu) July 14, 2021
Opinion | “Negative Secular Trends in Medicine: Part VIII: Practicing Physicians Posting on Social Media”.
15 Jul, 2021 | 09:08h | UTC
Opinion | The case for mandating COVID-19 vaccines for health care workers.
14 Jul, 2021 | 11:22h | UTCThe Case for Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines for Health Care Workers – Annals of Internal Medicine
News release: Case is strong for mandating COVID-19 vaccination for health care workers – American College of Physicians
Commentary on Twitter
The Case for Mandating COVID-19 Vaccines for Health Care Workers https://t.co/pdaBRZdkfG via @AnnalsofIM "The case for mandating SARS-CoV-2 vaccines for health care workers is substantially stronger than the case was for mandating influenza vaccines." I fully agree.
— Kenny Lin, MD, MPH (@kennylinafp) July 12, 2021
Pro-Con Debate | Should we delay covid-19 vaccination in children?
13 Jul, 2021 | 09:51h | UTCShould we delay covid-19 vaccination in children? – The BMJ
News release: Should we delay COVID-19 vaccination in children? – British Medical Journal
Commentary on Twitter
Covid-19 vaccines in adults have been remarkably effective. There is good reason to expect that the same will be true in children.
A group of authors discuss the pros and cons of vaccinating children against covid-19 https://t.co/TOEI67YPeH
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) July 9, 2021
WHO criticizes rich countries for planning COVID vaccine ‘boosters’ – while billions wait for first jab.
13 Jul, 2021 | 09:45h | UTCCOVID-19 booster strategy as Delta multiplies, highlights ‘disappointing inequality’: WHO – UN News
See also: WHO Lambasts Pfizer, Moderna & Rich Countries for Planning COVID Vaccine ‘Boosters’ – While Billions Wait for First Jab – Health Policy Watch AND WHO says vaccinated countries must stop ordering booster shots until others are fully vaccinated – ABC News
Landmark research integrity survey finds questionable practices are surprisingly common.
12 Jul, 2021 | 01:32h | UTCLandmark research integrity survey finds questionable practices are surprisingly common – Science (a few articles per month are free)
Original studies (preprint): Prevalence of questionable research practices, research misconduct and their potential explanatory factors: a survey among academic researchers in The Netherlands – MetaArXiv AND Prevalence of responsible research practices and their potential explanatory factors: a survey among academic researchers in The Netherlands – MetaArXiv
Related: Opinion | Time to assume that health research is fraudulent until proven otherwise?
Editorial: Aducanumab for Alzheimer’s disease?
12 Jul, 2021 | 01:15h | UTCAducanumab for Alzheimer’s disease? – The BMJ
Related: FDA approvement of Alzheimer’s drug sparks controversy among doctors.
Commentary on Twitter
Our editorial for @bmj_latest on the controversial #Aducanumab approval and what it means for patients, clinicians and researchers.
With @seb_walsh, Richard Milne @ethicsWCS, Carol Brayne @CamPubHealth https://t.co/mnhh4F1gKK— Richard Merrick (@r_merrick) July 9, 2021
Opinion | Time to assume that health research is fraudulent until proven otherwise?
8 Jul, 2021 | 08:58h | UTCTime to assume that health research is fraudulent until proven otherwise? – The BMJ Opinion
Related: How a Data Detective Exposed Suspicious Medical Trials
Commentary on Twitter
"It may be time to move from assuming that research has been honestly conducted and reported to assuming it to be untrustworthy until there is some evidence to the contrary."@Richard56 considers the scale of the problem of research fraudhttps://t.co/WQVbJyqw3o
— The BMJ (@bmj_latest) July 7, 2021
WHO pledges extensive commitments towards women’s empowerment and health.
7 Jul, 2021 | 08:49h | UTCWHO pledges extensive commitments towards women’s empowerment and health – World Health Organization
Commentary on Twitter (thread – click for more)
WHO pledges extensive commitments towards women’s empowerment & health with focus on:
✅ ending gender-based violence
✅ advancing sexual & reproductive health & rights
✅ supporting health workers, as well as feminist movements & leadershiphttps://t.co/52pdTaWPTY #ActForEqual— World Health Organization (WHO) (@WHO) July 5, 2021
Editorial | Do not just sit there, do something … but do no harm: the worrying aspects of COVID-19 experimental interventions.
6 Jul, 2021 | 10:14h | UTC
Commentary on Twitter
Shortcutting science perpetuates ineffective/unsafe treatments: with #COVID19 plethora of interventions (most next-to-no basis/inconsistent effects) trialled or given on compassionate grounds regardless risks. Will mistakes be acknowledged & lessons learnt?https://t.co/p53WyeMLEC pic.twitter.com/zUwlML8Pft
— Intensive Care Medicine (@yourICM) July 5, 2021