ABC Catalyst controversy
October 30, 2013
Pharmacists are being
urged to make sure they are
fully informed about “issues
and inaccuracies” in two ABC
Catalyst episodes which focus on
cardiovascular disease.
The first show, broadcast last Thu,
focused on disconnecting the link
between dietary saturated fat and
heart disease, featuring several
so-called experts from the USA who
said this is the “biggest myth of
medical history”.
The second show, due to be
shown this week, is about statins,
with Australian health experts
saying they’re concerned that it will
also discourage their use and that
this will lead to non-adherence.
ANU Professor Emily Banks, who’s
chair of the Advisory Committee
on the Safety of Medicines, has
highlighted significant concerns
about the show, with the ABC
confirming that she has written to
warn that the broadcast will lead
to “more cardiovascular disease
events and deaths”.
She is highly critical of the
program, saying that it comprised
a “series of anecdotes from, I think
what would be broadly termed
fringe-dwelling scientists or people
who weren’t actually scientists,
criticising things about the
cholesterol myth.
“But actually it’s one of the
relationships that we have the
strongest evidence for,” she said,
citing studies of over 900,000
participants showing a strong
relationship between the risk
of heart disease and increasing
cholesterol levels.”
Andrew McLachlan, Professor of
Pharmacy (Aged Care) at Sydney
University’s Faculty of Pharmacy,
says “pharmacists have a critical
role to know about the limitation
of this story and the selective
interpretation of the evidence.
“Importantly, pharmacists need
to reassure their patients that the
strategies to lower cholesterol
and the judicious and appropriate
use of statins are based on
longstanding sound evidence of
benefit,” McLachlan said.
He said that this situation was
yet another example of where
pharmacists find themselves as
“the information broker helping to
disentangle confusion over health
and medicines information.”
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