1. Study that concerned me this week…
There is a new pill, called the polypill, that has made the headlines this week. It is a combination of three blood pressure medications and a cholesterol medication combined in one pill. A new study showed that this pill combined with an aspirin daily reduced heart problems and death by 31%. Sounds amazing, right? Check this out… 4% of the group taking this drug experienced a heart attack, stroke, or died. In the control group, the group that did not take the pill, 6% experienced those heart-related problems. Seems pathetic to me… 4% versus 6%. That is only a 2% difference! But how are they saying it cuts these problems by 31%??? That’s because data can be reported in two ways, absolute risk reduction and relative risk reduction. The absolute risk reduction is a measly 2%. But the relative risk reduction is 31% (the difference between the 4% and the 6% in the two groups comes out to be 30%). Guess which way drug companies report data??? Yep, relative risk reduction. Makes the results look so much better than they actually are. While some experts hale this polypill as “transformational,” many cardiologists are critical of the risks and lack of personalization of these medications. What shocks me is that nobody is pointing out that the results of this study show pathetic benefits.
2. Something I have been watching for this week…
As I thought of the misleading presentation of data of that polypill, it got me thinking about Pfizer’s claim of 90% effectiveness of their new vaccine. I’ve noted that many medical experts, including renowned infectious disease expert Michael Osterholm, expressed interest in the details of that data. He stated that these findings are “encouraging,” that “the challenge we have is I don’t know how to interpret that news because I don’t have a clue what the 90% efficacy means… Did it prevent 90% of fever, cough, and chills as the illness outcome? Did it prevent 90% of people from dying? From being hospitalized? From having severe illness? We don’t know that yet.” Before we get too excited, I think we ought to see exactly what these vaccines may offer us. My guess… merely a reduction in symptoms. One thing is for sure… these drug companies will present their data using the most creative and appealing numbers that they can. I’m waiting and watching for what the data of this vaccine, as well as Moderna’s vaccine with the claim of 95% effectiveness, is based on. That info is critical!
3. Something cool I saw this week…
We did a college visit to Purdue University this week. One of the coolest things we saw was something called Starship, a robotic vehicle that delivers food to where ever you are on campus. It keeps your food cold or hot and will deliver to the exact spot where you’ve dropped a pin (on your phone) to mark your location. Wild! I love technology, but obviously, it comes with a hit to the physical activity that we so desperately need. Check out this quick video.
