July 16, 2007
Hospital Exec Touts Asthma Device, Silent on Hospital’s Role
Paul Levy, the chief executive officer of Harvard University-affiliated Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, last week used his popular blog to tout a new device for treating severe asthma that he found "fascinating." It should stir up interest in the device since Levy's blog, called Running a Hospital, is ranked 13th among the world's top blogs in health and medicine, according to EDrugSearch.com.
Levy called the invasive procedure, which involves using a catheter-controlled device to deliver heat to reduce internal muscle swelling in blocked air passageways, a "huge development in the treatment of this very pervasive disease. . . If it works as presented," he said, "this would be one of those medical developments that actually offers a reduction in the cost of health care."
The device is still in clinical trials so data to support Levy’s statements isn’t available. The blog item also hid Beth Israel Deaconess’ role in the procedure's development. A link took Levy’s readers to the website of the device's manufacturer, Asthmatx of Mountain View, CA, which is sponsoring the clinical trial. The Asthmatx website contained a page listing the 32 clinical trial sites on five continents, including arch-rival Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Neither Levy's blog nor the Asthmatx website revealed that Beth Israel Deaconess was also one of those sites, having announced its role a year ago in a press release. The hospital is also listed as a trial site in the government's clinical trials registry. Levy also failed to mention that his hospital has had a consulting contract with Asthmatx or its predecessor company at least since 2001, according to documents filed last year with the Securities and Exchange Commission.
Most medical journals have long required that physicians conducting clinical trials for the private sector reveal those conflicts of interest when publishing studies. Newspapers and electronic journalists in recent years have followed suit when reporting on medical advances. But the blogosphere operates without rules, even when the blogger runs one of the nation's leading teaching hospitals.
I agree with the conclusion and was unaware, when I wrote this post, that BIDMC might have any financial interst in this clinical trial or with this company. I will make a point to check this in the future when writing about a new device or therapy.
It was good of the Center for Science in the Public Interest to raise the issue. I wonder why you did not give them credit for doing so in your blog posting.
Posted by: Paul Levy at July 17, 2007 05:34 AMAs most readers of this blog know, I direct the Integrity in Science project at CSPI, and wrote this item for their weekly newsletter, Integrity in Science Watch, which I edit. I usually do credit the newsletter when I print it in its entirely, but in this case, simply reprinted the item with a few minor changes. I also usually give CSPI an "exclusive" period on the web, my own way of paying homage to who signs my paycheck and the time-honored principle that "he who pays the piper calls the tune."
Merrill
Posted by: Merrill at July 17, 2007 07:42 AMThanks, I didn't know that.
Posted by: Paul Levy at July 17, 2007 09:34 AMFYI, Merrill, from the Boston Globe's White Coat Notes -- http://www.boston.com/yourlife/health/blog/2007/07/consumer_group.html. I didn't see a place to comment on your other site.
Consumer group criticizes hospital chief's blog
By Liz Kowalczyk, Globe Staff
The Center for Science in the Public Interest, a consumer-advocacy group in Washington, D.C., took Boston hospital president Paul Levy to task this week over a recent posting on his popular blog, Running a Hospital. Levy, chief executive of Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, wrote on July 8 about a potential new treatment for asthma that uses catheter-delivered heat to reduce bronchial muscle spasms, which he said could be a huge development in treatment of the disease.
The center criticized Levy on its website, http://www.cspinet.org/integrity/watch/200707161.html, saying he had not disclosed that Beth Israel Deaconess is a clinical trial site for the treatment and a consultant to the company that makes the device, Asthmatx Inc. of Mountain View, Calif.
"The blogosphere operates without rules, even when the blogger runs one of the nation's leading teaching hospitals," the center wrote.
It's not that simple, however. Beth Israel Deaconess is not a clinical trial site, having decided not to participate when its data coordinator left, and it referred all patients it recruited to Brigham and Women's Hospital. The hospital received about $21,500 from the company for study administration and patient screening costs, according to the company. Dr. Armin Ernst, who was to be the principal investigator, was paid $1,500 in fees and expenses for speaking at an Asthmatx symposium in May 2006.
Levy said he did not know about any of this background when he wrote his blog item, but he said he agrees with the general principle raised by the center -- and yesterday he amended his July 8 blog entry.
"It has come to my attention that BIDMC has had commercial relationships with the company engaged in these trials. I was not aware of this before today, and I apologize for not mentioning it in my original post," he wrote. "I will consult with the BIDMC contracts office from now on before discussing new therapies and devices on this blog."
In an e-mail, he told the Globe, "The CSPI is exactly right that bloggers should disclose commercial relationships on items like this. I appreciate their bringing it up as an issue and will make sure to be more careful about it in the future."