'The Public Should Not be Subject to These Quack Medicines': What We Heard This Week

The public should not be subjected to unapproved medical treatments, according to Jeffrey Klausner, MD, MPH, who criticized the FDA's warning to Amazon for selling such products. Former NIAID Director Jeanne Marrazzo, MD, MPH, expressed disappointment in the government's response to the measles outbreak, suggesting a need for more nurses in office.

Jennifer Mensik Kennedy, RN, PhD, president of the American Nurses Association, proposed increasing the number of nurses in Congress. Sanjay Saint, MD, from Northwell Health, highlighted the importance of reducing catheter-associated urinary tract infections in hospitals. Brian Jenssen, MD, MSHP, from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, emphasized the need to ask about vaping as well as smoking when assessing children's exposure to secondhand tobacco.

Joshua Lieberman, MD, PhD, of the University of Washington School of Medicine, noted that the spike in a rare fungal infection is alarming because it occurs outside of high-risk populations. Mohamed Khattab, MD, from the University of South Florida, questioned whether a controversial treatment for depression and suicidal ideation is truly life-saving.

Richard Rosen, MD, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, expressed frustration over the lack of alternatives for patients with advanced retinitis pigmentosa, emphasizing the importance of optogenetic therapy in their care.