John Abramson, M.D.

ISBN: 0-06-056853-4

The following review was contributed by: Sue Vogan: To read more of Sue's reviews Click Here

Doctor John Abramson hits the ground running with "Overdo$ed America." He immediately points out that "Merck had done the right thing in September 2004" by recalling their billion-dollar baby, Vioxx. Since it had caused heart attacks and even deaths, it was comforting to know that this pharmaceutical company showed responsibility. But I soon learned that this wasn't exactly right. It seems that Merck and the FDA knew in the year 2000 that "Vioxx was significantly more dangerous and no more effective than an older and far less costly anti-inflammatory drug, narpoxen (Aleve)." What? The FDA and Merck knew for four years that Vioxx was causing "tens of thousands of heart attacks and deaths," but they failed to remove it from circulation immediately? I had to read more.

Further down, Dr. Abramson explains that "the FDA issued a strong warning about the use of antidepressants in young patients," only after "British drug authorities had mandated a similar warning a year and a half earlier, based upon the same information that had been available to the FDA." I couldn't stop here. If this was at the beginning of the book, I could hardly wait to see what else Dr. Abramson exposed.

The book is divided into three parts. For me, it was easier to digest.

The first section, "A Family Doctor's Journey of Discovery," describes Dr. Abramson's own practice and the "commercial influence" he saw appearing in medical journals. He speaks of two beast cancer patients, three drugs for stomach acid, and the fact that a number of his patients "are still alive because of recent medical advances." But, there is a "myth of excellence" in America and Dr. Abramson spells it out in simple layman's terms. He notes that even with all of the advancements made, "the overall death rate from cancer was exactly the same in the year 2000 as it had been in 1971, when "war" was declared." And, you won't want to miss the chapter about menopause. For me, it was definitely an eye-opener.

The second segment, "The Commercialization of American Medicine," shows links between the "experts" who write clinical guidelines that "define good medical care" -- they have "direct financial ties to the companies whose products are being evaluated." Dr. Abramson also covers HMOs, mentioning "news stories about HMOs unreasonably withholding care" becoming "a dominant theme." Doctors are now becoming specialists at a higher rate, but "the medical information available to doctors (and to their patients) is increasingly dominated by commercial interests." And, the FDA is again held up to the light. "In 1996 Warner-Lambert submitted Rezulin to the FDA for approval."

It was an "accelerated review." Dr. John L. Gueriguian, the "medical officer evaluating the new drug application." When the drug company heard that Dr. Gueriguian was concerned about the drug with regards to liver damage, they "complained about Gueriguian to the higher-ups at the FDA." Dr. Gueriguian, a 19-year veteran, was promptly "removed from the approval process for this drug."

When the approval time came, no one would hear about Dr. Gueriguian's concerns. "The FDA approved Rezulin in February 1997." Soon, "reports of fatal liver toxicity due to Rezulin soon started to appear. Notwithstanding reports of deaths in the United States as well as in Japan, and the withdrawal of the drug from the United Kingdom because of liver toxicity in December 1997,

Dr. Eastman and his colleagues decided to continue treating volunteers in the Diabetes Prevention Program study with Rezulin. Only after Audrey LaRue Jones, a 55-year-old high school teacher, died of liver failure in May 1998 did Rezulin stop being given to the volunteers in the study." The drug was not removed from the market for another two years and it was reported, "Rezulin was suspected in 391 deaths and linked to 400 cases of liver failure."

The final section of "Overdo$ed America," "Taking Back Our Health," deals with "scientific evidence" designed to just sell more drugs. Dr. Abramson shows that "restoring the integrity of medical science is the best way to finance universal health care and still save hundreds of billions of dollars a year." Best of all, it explores the question, "why don't doctors just say no to providing medical care that is not supported by evidence that meets the highest standards of medical science?" Perhaps physicians have a difficult time differentiating "between care that is necessary and beneficial and care that has been pushed into use by financial incentives and will not stand the test of time."

Before you swallow another pill or read another drug pamphlet, read "Overdo$ed America." Education is our best weapon in the world of healthcare and you won't be educated until you read what Dr. Abramson has researched and made available for the very low price of $13.95/America or $18.95/Canada.

John Abramson, M.D., has worked as a family doctor with the National Health Service Corps in Appalachia and for twenty years in a small town north of Boston. He is a clinical instructor at Harvard Medical School.

On September 14, 2006, Dr. Abramson will appear on In Short Order at www.highway2health.net, 9PM EST.