Wednesday, September 08, 2021

UK doctors must engage with the assisted dying debate now, says The BMJ

As the UK considers new laws to permit assisted dying, The BMJ this week explores the debate around assisted dying—prescribing life ending drugs for terminally ill, mentally competent adults to administer themselves within strict legal safeguards.

Experts make weak recommendation for medical cannabis for chronic pain

In The BMJ today, a panel of international experts make a weak recommendation for a trial of non-inhaled medical cannabis or cannabinoids (chemicals found in cannabis) for people living with chronic pain, if standard care is not sufficient.

Exposure to traffic noise linked to higher dementia risk

Exposure to noise from traffic on roads and railways over a long period is associated with a higher risk of developing dementia, especially Alzheimer's disease, suggests a study from Denmark published in The BMJ today.

Third of cancer drugs without proven clinical benefit continue to be recommended for patients

One third of cancer drugs that received accelerated approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) continue to be recommended in clinical guidelines after their confirmatory clinical trials fail to show improvement on their primary endpoints, finds a study published by The BMJ today.