Newsworthy Medical Stories of the Decade

As the decade comes to a close, we take a look at some of the more newsworthy medical stories of the past 10 years.

Most of them -- the first flu pandemic in 40 years, heightened concerns about drug and food safety -- will continue to play out in the next decade, while the full effect of others -- the sequencing of the human genome in 2003, President Obama's lifting this year of restrictions on stem cell research -- won't be felt for years or even decades.

On the next page: A far-from-comprehensive list->

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SARS leads to global coordination

Severe acute respiratory syndrome, or SARS, hit Southeast Asia and Canada in 2003. Worldwide, the atypical pneumonia killed more than 750 people and led to the quarantine of tens of thousands. The outbreak ended in 2004 and led to the adoption in 2005 of international health regulations designed to speed communication about outbreaks of serious, unusual diseases.

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Hormone therapy trial halted

For years, doctors had prescribed postmenopausal hormone therapy in the belief it would protect women against diseases of aging. In July 2002, though, the government-sponsored Women's Health Initiative halted a trial comparing estrogen plus progestin to a placebo. Women on the hormones had a higher risk of breast cancer, heart attacks, stroke and blood clots. In 2004, the initiative stopped comparing estrogen alone with a placebo because the hormone group had a higher stroke risk. Women were advised to take the hormones only for hot flashes.

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Vioxx opens eyes to other dangers

The blockbuster arthritis drug Vioxx became the poster child for drug safety concerns when maker Merck ended five years of sales Sept. 30, 2004. A company study had found that patients on Vioxx were more likely to have heart attacks or strokes than those on a placebo. Six weeks later, Food and Drug Administration scientist David Graham told Senate panel members the agency was "virtually defenseless" against another Vioxx. Graham named five medications he thought might deserve Vioxx's fate. In April 2005, Pfizer agreed to halt sales of one, the arthritis drug Bextra, because risks outweighed benefits.

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Sickness in the food supply

Over the decade, thousands became sick and some died from eating contaminated food, shaking consumers' faith in the FDA's ability to keep the food supply safe. In 2006, E. coli-tainted spinach sickened 205; five died. In 2008, more than 1,400 were sickened by salmonella-tainted tomatoes and jalapeno and serrano peppers. This past January, the FDA launched a recall of products from a Georgia peanut plant because of salmonella. Hundreds got sick after eating the products; several died.

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First cancer vaccine approved

Merck's Gardasil, the first vaccine designed to protect against cancer, earned FDA approval in June 2006 for girls and women 9 to 26. It targets the types of human papillomavirus, or HPV, accountable for 70% of cervical cancers and 90% of genital warts. Some states considered mandating Gardasil for girls entering middle school, even though HPV is sexually transmitted. In October, the FDA approved GlaxoSmithKline's Cervarix HPV vaccine for girls and young women. Merck got the nod to market Gardasil for boys and young men. (c) Copyright 2009 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.

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Newsworthy Medical Stories of the DecadeOriginally from: http://www.nursinglink.monster.com/news/articles/9226-newsworthy-medical-stories-of-the-decade

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