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I do not approve
The headline in the Washington Post yesterday read "FDA Approves Artificial Heart for Those Awaiting Transplant." The language annoys me - it sounds as if the FDA gave a Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval to the artificial heart. Consider how much clearer the tradeoffs of medical policy would be if instead the headline read, "FDA lifts ban on artificial hearts for those awaiting transplant."
Thanks to Dan Klein, my co-author on FDAReview.org, who first alerted me to these issues.
Addendum: Unfortunately, as I wrote earlier, the artificial heart will not save lives and follow up here.
Posted by Alex Tabarrok on October 20, 2004 at 07:15 AM in Medicine | Permalink
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