The government is investigating if heart attack survivors enrolled in a controversial federal study of an alternative treatment were told about possible health risks.
According to this article, the $30 million study with 1,500 participants, is one of the largest alternative medicine experiments. It tests high doses of vitamin and mineral supplements and chelation, a treatment used for lead poisoning. It has not been proven safe or effective for heart disease and has the potential to cause drug injury.
Last August, the federal Office of Human Research Protections began a probe into whether the people in the study were being fully informed of risks and adequately protected. Researchers then suspended enrollment.
Chelation involves intravenous doses of a drug, in this case disodium EDTA. Proponents claim it can flush out calcium that has built up in artery walls.
According to the article, the study’s consent form does not tell participants that others have suffered wrongful death from chelation. More than half of the doctors running the study make money by selling chelation treatments, which is a conflict of interest.
Chelation has been highly controversial, and the American Heart Association and other groups have spoken out against it because it carries a risk of kidney failure, bone marrow problems, shock, low blood pressure, convulsions, heart rhythm problems, allergic reactions and breathing troubles.According to this article, the $30 million study with 1,500 participants, is one of the largest alternative medicine experiments. It tests high doses of vitamin and mineral supplements and chelation, a treatment used for lead poisoning. It has not been proven safe or effective for heart disease and has the potential to cause drug injury.
Last August, the federal Office of Human Research Protections began a probe into whether the people in the study were being fully informed of risks and adequately protected. Researchers then suspended enrollment.
Chelation involves intravenous doses of a drug, in this case disodium EDTA. Proponents claim it can flush out calcium that has built up in artery walls.
According to the article, the study’s consent form does not tell participants that others have suffered wrongful death from chelation. More than half of the doctors running the study make money by selling chelation treatments, which is a conflict of interest.
The federal FDA, as well as other leading doctor groups, have called chelation experimental and of unknown value or risk for heart disease patients.
If any patient here has died as a result of this study, they have been the victim of medical malpractice. Misdiagnosis, failure to diagnose, surgical errors, prescription drug errors, birth injuries, failure to treat diseases, delay in treatment, and negligence are just a few examples of medical malpractice. If you or a loved one has been the victim of medical malpractice in Pennsylvania, please contact Cherry Fieger and Marciano, LLP today for a free consultation with a skilled Philadelphia medical malpractice attorney.
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