The
Committee of Interns and Residents (CIR/SEIU), the union that represents residents
and interns nationwide, is hosting a screening of Money Driven Medicine ,a film produced by Alex Gibney, directed by
Andy Fredericks, and based on Maggie’s book , this Wednesday, April 7.. Maggie
will be doing a Q&A following the film. :

                                      St Luke's Hospital
                                      Muhlenberg Auditorium, Floor 4
                                     1111
Amsterdam Ave
                                      New York,
NY 10025

                                      Film
Begins at   5:15 PM

                                Food will be
served. Public Invited.

I loved the lead to a story that ran in the New York Times yesterday:

“With the government’s blessing, a drug giant is about to expand the market for its blockbuster cholesterol medication, Crestor, to a new category of customers: as a preventive measure for millions of people who do not have cholesterol problems.

“Some medical experts question whether this is a healthy move.”

It is such a rare pleasure to run into intentional understatement in the mainstream media.  Kudos to NYT reporter Duff Wilson for not only recognizing irony, but managing to incorporate it into the lead of a NYT story.

The article goes on to point out that cholesterol-lowering drugs, known as statins, “may not be as safe as doctors previously thought.”  Meanwhile, the benefits for healthy patients are . . .  well, “slim to none” is the phrase that comes to my mind.

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