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Science Forum Index » Medicine - Lyme Forum » More feedback--Wormser asks a question...
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| the 3rd Man... |
 Posted: Tue May 06, 2008 3:45 am |
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I have to say that I don't get it, either...can anyone explain it?
"There's no potential financial gain for generic drugs that are
recommended for short courses. It's inconceivable that anyone would
think so. To me it seems disingenuous to make these allegations when
they are so absurd," Wormser said.
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VALHALLA - A Westchester doctor and international Lyme disease expert
is rejecting as "absurd" and "misleading" accusations that his work
was influenced by drug companies or other conflicts of interest.
Dr. Gary Wormser, director of the Westchester Medical Center's
infectious disease department, came under fire in recent days after
Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal alleged that the panel
he led in 2006 to author guidelines on treating Lyme disease had ties
to drug and testing supply companies.
Blumenthal last week also alleged that the 14-member panel had a bias
against what some patient-advocates call chronic Lyme disease.
"There's no potential financial gain for generic drugs that are
recommended for short courses. It's inconceivable that anyone would
think so. To me it seems disingenuous to make these allegations when
they are so absurd," Wormser said.
The Infectious Disease Society of America, which puts out the
recommendations for physicians, said they agreed to an independent
review of those guidelines to end Blumenthal's two-year investigation
last Thursday.
While Blumenthal declined to provide details on those conflicts of
interest, he said yesterday that the settlement will result in a
"profoundly significant new process" for dealing with doctors'
speaking fees, patent interests and research grants as they are making
public health recommendations.
"There will be a complete reassessment of the October 2006
guidelines," Blumenthal said.
The announcement that the guidelines would be overhauled comes just as
the weather gets warmer, more people are outside and the threat of the
tick-borne disease increases. It has also allowed the contentious
debate over Lyme disease to creep back into the national spotlight.
Lyme disease is a bacterial infection caused by the bite of an
infected deer tick. Untreated, the disease can cause a rash, often
called "the bull's eye," and muscle and joint pain; later it can
result in arthritis and neurological symptoms.
The disease was first discovered in Lyme, Conn., in 1975, and its
treatment is still among the most controversial in the area of
infectious diseases.
Two years ago, hundreds of people rallied outside the Westchester
Medical Center to decry the the guidelines soon after they were made
public.
Over the years, the elusive disease has made numerous headlines and
most recently inspired a documentary called "Under Our Skin," which
was shown last week at the Tribeca Film Festival.
In the Lower Hudson Valley, the number of Lyme disease cases in the
past three years has declined in Westchester and Putnam but has
increased in Rockland between 2002 and 2006.
The highest number of Lyme disease cases were in Dutchess County,
though the numbers there have decreased. Dutchess had 1,432 cases in
2005 and 930 cases in 2006, according to the state's Health
Department. The number of confirmed cases for last year will be
available in July.
"After the next few weeks, we'll have a better indication of whether
or not it's going to be a hot year for ticks," said Thomas Daniels, a
research scientist at the Vector Ecology Lab at the Louis Calder
Center in Armonk.
Most physicians treat the disease according to the 2006 guidelines,
which call for a single dose of preventative antibiotics for about 21
days. Those guidelines, which Wormser authored, say that prolonged
antibiotic treatment "has not proven to be useful."
Patients, advocates and some doctors, however, believe that Lyme
disease is a chronic condition for some people, and it needs attention
over a longer period of time with antibiotics.
Those who believe in chronic Lyme have praised Blumenthal's
investigation because they believe it will allow their arguments and
research to be heard, said Diana Blanchard, co-president of Time for
Lyme Inc., a Greenwich-based patient advocacy group.
"This settlement gives hope to thousands of patients who have been
suffering ... chronic symptoms of the disease. We feel that there will
be a chance now to rework these guidelines," Blanchard said.
Although the guidelines are not mandatory and doctors voluntarily
follow them, Blanchard says doctors who recognize chronic Lyme disease
have been marginalized and patients have often been denied insurance
coverage for treatment because it is more expensive.
Since the guidelines came out in October 2006, two more double-blind
studies have upheld Wormser's position on chronic Lyme.
"We don't disagree that people are suffering. We just disagree on
blaming these chronic symptoms on Lyme," Wormser said.
Even if a new panel of medical experts re-evaluates the controversial
guidelines, Wormser believes the recommendations are not likely to
change.
Those who are part of the so-called "Lyme movement," however,
disagree.
"I have complete hope that they will find fault with the current
guidelines and patients will begin to get the help they deserve," said
Pat Smith, president of the Lyme Disease Association, a national
nonprofit organization for chronic Lyme patients.
But Wormser contends that Blumenthal acted politically.
"By launching this investigation against a respected medical society,
the attorney general sought to politicize science and substitute his
judgement for that of medical professionals," Wormser said |
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