Lyme Policy Wonk

You need to take a look at the “pistols at dawn” action at the OK Corral. The article by Dr. Stricker and me on the IDSA guidelines, antitrust law, and Lyme disease has drawn the heat of Dr. Gershon, President of IDSA. This type of exchange is good. It highlights issues. It clears the air. Remember a duel is not a brawl. It is a controlled battle between gentlemen of honor with a certain level of dignity expected of all participants. I don’t know, it still makes me think that I ought to put on a combat helmet before putting put pen to paper.

Some more light reading for those late nights when nothing is on the tube and you’re wondering how IDSA got ensnared in antitrust law with its Lyme disease guidelines. Just how flawed was its guidelines development process? Why is it important to democracy that opposing viewpoints be heard before vital freedoms—like your ability to choose among treatment options—are taken away. When do medical societies have an obligation to not suppress legitimate medical controversies? And, what is the drill for the settlement process anyway?

If you have comments on the article, send them to me at johnson.lorraineb@gmail.com

If you haven't read the article by attorneys Elliott Pollack and Christine Collyer in the Connecticut Law Tribune, "Attorney general
challenges controversial Lyme disease guidelines", I suggest you check it out. Those familiar with the Jones case in Connecticut will recognize their names. Early on in the case, I had the pleasure of working with these attorneys and have appreciated the high level of competency and professionalism as well as their dogged pursuit of justice for Dr. Jones. Connecticut is ground zero for Lyme disease–with the Jones case, the Connecticut Attorney General antitrust investigation against IDSA, and the pending state legislation that would provide protection for treating physicians.

The German Society of Lyme Borreliosis submitted its objections to the IDSA Lyme disease review panel. The society protested the application of the IDSA guidelines in Germany, emphasizing the poor lab test sensitivity, persistence of the organism, and seriousness of the illness.

Lyme Disease Action (in the UK) filed a submission with the IDSA contesting the IDSA 2006 Lyme disease guidelines. The submission points out that the presentation of Lyme disease in the UK may be different than the presentation in the US, and the application of the guidelines in the UK lead to under-diagnosis and under-treatment of patients with Lyme disease.

The Association of American Physicians and Surgeons (AAPS), which represents physicians and surgeons in small practices, sets the IDSA Lyme disease guidelines in its cross-hairs. Why? Because the physicians need flexibility and the IDSA guidelines are mandates that restrict the ability of physicians to provide individualized care. The full text of the AAPS letter to the IDSA follows:

Every now and then you gotta kick up your heels. This year I headed back east for Time for Lyme's GALA. The Young People's Chorus of New York City gave an amazing performance of internationally inspired songs. Actor, Director and Writer Lou Diamond Phillips of Lyme Life gave a compelling speech and a rousing performance singing with the band–including the song LA BAMBA–which had everyone up dancing. The picture is me leaning in to talk with Dr. Luc Montagnier, a Nobel Prize winner for his discovery of HIV, who was honored at the GALA.

Pop the cork off the Champagne and let the fireworks rip! ILADS made its document submission for the IDSA Lyme disease review panel. And the weight of evidence was staggering–

The IDSA trots out bad faith move after bad faith move to ensure that their Lyme disease guidelines are rubberstamped quickly and quietly. IDSA took first things first–which means stacking the panel has been front and center in its cross-hairs for some time.