"Health & Medical News"

Less than two months ago, American Medical Association President Ron Davis, MD, told the AMA Board of Trustees that he had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer.

Dr. Davis, 51, is continuing to serve as president. But he has reduced his duties to focus on treatment and spend time with his family. He said he realizes that pancreatic cancer has a high death rate, but he plans to be one of the survivors.

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Washington — Muscle provided by Congress last fall was intended to allow the Food and Drug Administration to police drugs already on the market. Findings from this effort could enhance physicians’ understanding of a medication’s potential for harm or their ability to identify patients at risk for adverse events.

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Washington — Opting for action over the status quo, a group of Baltimore physicians decided to challenge common perceptions that children’s over-the-counter cold and cough medicines are safe and effective. They believe the products are neither.

Led by the city’s health department, the group brought a citizens’ petition to the Food and Drug Administration asking that the agency tell parents that the products never were found to be safe or effective for this young population. The FDA is now considering the matter and, at press time in December 2007, the final decision was still pending. “We are working intently to provide a public statement in the near future,” an agency spokeswoman said.

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Doctors now can share their views on American Medical News articles with thousands of their colleagues on Sermo, an online community for physicians only.

Current and recent articles in the American Medical News online edition — amednews.com — carry links that instantly connect readers to the free Sermo site (www.sermo.com). Established Sermo member physicians then need only log in. First-time physician users can access the Sermo community after a simple registration procedure, taking about two minutes, that includes verification of their MD or DO degree.

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