PRESS RELEASE
For Immediate
Release: May 2, 2008
Contact: Tina J. Garcia, President
Lyme Education Awareness
Program, L.E.A.P. Arizona
Telephone: 480-219-6869
Email:
leaparizona@yahoo.com
INFECTIOUS DISEASES SOCIETY OF AMERICA
LYME DISEASE PRACTICE GUIDELINES PROCESS
BIASED and FLAWED!!!!
In an antitrust investigation commenced in 2006 against the Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA), Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has determined that the IDSA unethically breached its conflicts of interest policy in the formulation of their 2006 Practice Guidelines for Lyme disease diagnosis and treatment.
According to the Attorney General’s Press Release dated May 1, 2008, the IDSA ignored the failure of its Lyme disease Practice Guideline “esteemed panel of experts” to disclose their financial conflicts of interest. Such financial conflicts of interest involved associations with drug companies, consulting arrangements with insurance companies, Lyme disease diagnostic tests and other patents.
Although the IDSA has admitted no liability in its settlement agreement with Attorney General Blumenthal, the evidence is stacked highly against the IDSA and its Lyme disease Practice Guideline authors, as outlined in the AG’s Press Release.
The IDSA agreed to an independent review of their Lyme disease Practice Guidelines published in 2006. The neutral, conflicts-free panel selected by the IDSA will consist of eight to twelve members. An ombudsman has been appointed. Dr. Howard A. Brody, a recognized expert and author on medical ethics and conflicts of interest and Director of the Institute for Medical Humanities at the University of Texas Medical Branch will have the responsibility to ensure that the review panel members have no conflicts of interest.
The panel will conduct an open scientific hearing that will be broadcast live to the public on the Internet via the IDSA’s website. The Attorney General’s office, Dr. Brody and the review panel will work together to finalize the list of presenters of scientific evidence at the hearing.
Due to the fact that the IDSA and its Practice Guideline author’s actions have had dire consequences for patients nationwide, including patients in Arizona, Lyme Education Awareness Program, L.E.A.P. Arizona, expresses deep appreciation to Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal and his Assistants. The Attorney General and his staff worked for nearly a year and a half on this investigation into the behind-the-scenes dealings of the Infectious Diseases Society of America and its Lyme disease Practice Guideline authors.
L.E.A.P. holds great hope that the results of this investigation and the future review panel hearing will finally effectuate appropriate diagnosis and treatment for Lyme disease patients in Arizona and nationwide. Lyme disease patients suffer from debilitating cognitive dysfunction, excruciating musculoskeletal pain, crushing fatigue and sometimes cardiac abnormalities. Patients are denied diagnosis and treatment by the majority of physicians, most notably infectious disease specialists. When the infection remains undiagnosed with no treatment provided for years, the result is a chronic, multi-system infestation of Borrelia burgdorferi, the bacterium that causes Lyme disease.
Thousands of patients with chronic Lyme Borreliosis infections have suffered due to denial of diagnosis and treatment through the use of both the 2000 and 2006 IDSA Practice Guidelines by physicians, insurance companies and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), which has only the IDSA treatment guidelines posted on its website. L.E.A.P. Arizona strongly encourages ALL physicians, insurance companies and the CDC to reconsider their use of the biased IDSA guidelines.
This is a defining moment for all physicians who have taken the Hippocratic Oath to “First do no harm.” According to the American Medical Association’s informed consent guidelines, every physician has the responsibility to provide informed consent to their patients by explaining ALL treatment options available, with associated risks, regardless of the cost or whether or not those treatments are covered by the patient’s insurance company. For patients with Lyme disease, this informed consent should include treatment with long-term antibiotics.
Additional published treatment guidelines are available through an organization of experienced Lyme-treating healthcare providers, the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS). Physicians may provide informed consent to patients by explaining the short-term antibiotic IDSA guidelines/antitrust investigation and the long-term antibiotic ILADS treatment guidelines, including the risks associated with both. The AMA outlines informed consent as an “ethical obligation” and a “legal concept” to protect physicians in litigation. It is L.E.A.P.’s position that the CDC should also provide informed consent by posting the results of Mr. Blumenthal’s investigation on their website, along with BOTH published treatment guidelines.
Lyme Education
Awareness Program
L.E.A.P. Arizona
P.O. Box 2654
Mesa, Arizona 85214-2654
480-219-6869 Phone
480-830-2788 Fax
Lyme Education
Awareness Program (L.E.A.P. Arizona)
www.leaparizona.com
Connecticut Attorney General Press Release dated May 1, 2008
http://www.ct.gov/ag/cwp/view.asp?a=2795&q=414284
International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS)
American Medical Association Informed Consent Guidelines
http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/4608.html
Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) Press Release dated May 1, 2008
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention