In episode 385, James and Mike invite Tim Caulfield (author, professor and lawyer) yet again to talk about the marketing and evidence around stem cell therapies. Low and behold the evidence pales in comparison to the hype. At the end Tim states – “science is hard” – enough said.

1) Is Gwenyth Paltrow wrong about everything?

2) A user’s guide to cheating death

3) Televised medical talk shows–what they recommend and the evidence to support their recommendations: a prospective observational study

BMJ. 2014 Dec 17;349:g7346. doi: 10.1136/bmj.g7346

4) The evolution of policy issues in stem cell research: an international survey

Stem Cell Rev. 2012 Dec;8(4):1037-42. doi: 10.1007/s12015-012-9404-5

5) Reassessing direct-to-consumer portrayals of unproven stem cell therapies: is it getting better?

Regen Med. 2013 May;8(3):361-9. doi: 10.2217/rme.13.15

6) International Society for Stem Cell Research

7) Polar Extremes in the Clinical Use of Stem Cells

N Engl J Med. 2017 Mar 16;376(11):1075-1077. doi: 10.1056/NEJMe1701379

8) How Anecdotal Evidence Can Undermine Scientific Results

9) Exploiting science? A systematic analysis of complementary and alternative medicine clinic websites’ marketing of stem cell therapies

BMJ Open 2018;8:e019414. doi:10.1136/ bmjopen-2017-019414

In episode 384, James and Mike invite Tim Caulfield (author, professor and lawyer) to talk about the marketing of personalized medicine. We find out that most of the marketing is absurd. We also figure out that personalized medicine is being done all the time but it rarely if ever requires knowledge of any genetic testing results.

1) Is Gwenyth Paltrow wrong about everything?

2) A user’s guide to cheating death

3) Shattuck lecture–medical and societal consequences of the Human Genome Project

N Engl J Med 1999;341:28-37

4) Representing a “revolution”: how the popular press has portrayed personalized medicine

Genet Med 2018 Jan 4. doi: 10.1038/gim.2017.217

5) Personalized genetic risk counseling to motivate diabetes prevention: a randomized trial

Diabetes Care 2013 Jan;36(1):13-9. doi: 10.2337/dc12-0884

6) Genetic determinants of common obesity and their value in prediction.

Best Pract Res Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2012 Apr;26(2):211-26. doi: 10.1016/j.beem.2011.11.003.

7) Effectiveness of testing for genetic susceptibility to smoking-related diseases on smoking cessation outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Tob Control 2012 May;21(3):347-54. doi: 10.1136/tc.2011.042739

8) Differences in Weight Loss Between Persons on Standard Balanced vs Nutrigenetic Diets in a Randomized Controlled Trial

Clin Gastroenterol Hepatol. 2015 Sep;13(9):1625-1632.e1. doi: 10.1016/j.cgh.2015.02.044

9) Gene Environment Risk Assessment and Colorectal Cancer Screening in an Average Risk Population: A Randomized, Controlled Trial

Ann Intern Med. 2014 Oct 21; 161(8): 537–545.

10) Lifestyle Advice Combined with Personalized Estimates of Genetic or Phenotypic Risk of Type 2 Diabetes, and Objectively Measured Physical Activity: A Randomized Controlled Trial

PLoS Med. 2016 Nov 29;13(11):e1002185. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1002185. eCollection 2016 Nov

11) Born Fat: The Relations Between Weight Changeability Beliefs and Health Behaviors and Physical Health

Health Educ Behav. 2016 Jun;43(3):337-46. doi: 10.1177/1090198115602266. Epub 2015 Sep 8

12) The impact of communicating genetic risks of disease on risk-reducing health behaviour: systematic review with meta-analysis

BMJ. 2016 Mar 15;352:i1102. doi: 10.1136/bmj.i1102

13) Gene-lifestyle interaction and type 2 diabetes: the EPIC interact case-cohort study

PLoS Med. 2014 May 20;11(5):e1001647. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001647. eCollection 2014 May

14) Why Are Some Population Interventions for Diet and Obesity More Equitable and Effective Than Others? The Role of Individual Agency

PLoS Med. 2016 Apr 5;13(4):e1001990. doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1001990. eCollection 2016 Apr

In episode 383, James and Mike go over the IMPACT trial that looks at triple inhaler therapy for patients with COPD. We talk about how, unfortunately, the impact is not that impactful and then put all the results into context with the issues of placebo, patents and cost. 

Show Notes

1) Once-Daily Single-Inhaler Triple versus Dual Therapy in Patients with COPD 

N Engl J Med 2018;378:1671-80

2) Price Comparison of Commonly Prescribed Pharmaceuticals in Alberta 2018

Cost document