The 5th Annual Alexander Awards: The Best Tox Reading of 2014

Alexander Gettler The distinguished Alexander Awards go to the best writings related to toxicology topics that have appeared in the previous year. To be eligible to win an Alexander, an article or paper must be freely available on the web, not locked up behind some paywall or subject to restricted access. The awards are named for Alexander Gettler (1883-1968,) the chief toxicologist with the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of the City of New York during the first half of the 20th century. Gettler’s work was crucial in the development of modern forensic toxicology. In a must-read piece from New York magazine, Steven S. Hall gave the best explanation I’ve seen of how the Food and Drug Administration ended up approving the long-acting hydrocodone product ZohydroER, even though their own scientific advisory committee recommended against approval by the convincing vote of 11 to 2. This is a great look at the inner workings of the FDA, and how they approve some drugs with willful blinds as to the public health ramifications. The article quotes @LNelsonMD, @DavidJuurlink, and @JMPerroneMD. Forbes also reported on Zohydro this year, asking “Is The Super Potent New Opiate Pain Killer Zohydro Just Too Dangerous?” “The Drugging of the American Boy” by Ryan D’Agostino in Esquire magazine is another must-read. It dives deep into the problem of proliferating ADHD drugs, sales of which almost doubled in the 4 years from 2008 to 2012. Joaquín...
Source: The Poison Review - Category: Toxicology Authors: Tags: Medical alexander award alexander gentler best toxicology reading 2014 Source Type: news