STATEMENT OF THE NATIONAL NON PROFIT LYME DISEASE ASSOCIATION, INC. ON THE IDSA GUIDELINES PANEL DECISION 4-22-10
We are not surprised by the conclusions reached by the IDSA review panel but are certainly disappointed. It is certainly suspect that in considering a disease with numbers on the rise (250% increase from 1993-2008), one which is so highly controversial and with unsettled and “undone” science, that the panel would vote “lockstep” (8-0) except for one dissenting vote to uphold all of the original recommendations. The national Lyme disease Association (LDA) and its 35 associated organizations publicly expressed their concerns about bias in the panel selection throughout the process, including the selection of the chair, who is a former president of the IDSA, and the pronounced lack of community treating physicians.
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NATIONAL CAPITAL LYME: IDSA PANEL STICKS TO ITS 2006 TREATMENT GUIDELINES DESPITE SCIENTIFIC EVIDENCE
Monte Skall, Executive Director of the National Capital Lyme and Tick-Borne Disease Association said, “It is a sad day for all patients when medical experts turn their backs on medical research when making treatment recommendations.” Skall refers to the fact that the panel of experts that reviewed the guidelines agreed that all of the 69 original recommendations were medically and scientifically justified while ignoring the large body of research that has found prolonged antibiotic therapy to be effective.
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ILADS: ASTONISHMENT AS MEDICAL PANEL RUBBER STAMPS ITS OWN CONTROVERSIAL GUIDELINES
“It’s a sad day for the health care system and for everyone who suffers from the Lyme disease epidemic,” says Dr. Robert Bransfield, President of the International Lyme and Associated Diseases Society (ILADS). “The IDSA’s flawed positions means patients will continue to suffer with incorrect diagnosis and improper treatment.” Treatment guidelines are crucial when it comes to healthcare because they may dictate whether patients can get diagnosed and treated for illnesses and whether or not insurance companies will pay for it.
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LYMEPOLICYWONK: IDSA REPORTS NO CHANGE IN GUIDELINES--THE FAT CAT ATE THE CANARY
What happened? The IDSA has issued its official report of the Lyme review panel. “[A] special independent Review Panel has unanimously agreed that no changes need be made to IDSA’s 2006 Lyme disease guidelines.” Let me point out three faults with this statement.
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