To understand why Sen. John McCain introduced a bill on dietary supplements, read the press releases. The legislation announced Feb. 3  addresses public safety, but mostly it’s about the reputation and revenue of professional and Olympic sports. The evidence: McCain says in the release that “a little over a year ago the NFL suspended six [...]

Two days of hearings before the FDA about search-based advertising for drugs produced one possible solution: fixed warnings for products. Google has proposed that its AdWords could include a hyperlinked line that warns consumers about the potential dangers of a drug.

ESPN Magazine devotes two well-illustrated and detailed pages on performance-enhancing drugs in a recent issue. This is a must read for every attorney who represents athletes who test positive. The article probably should not be allowed in the libraries of middle and high schools.

We are not sure of the reason, but it seems that every three months or so, a national media outlet weighs in on an old story: tainted nutritional supplements. The latest is a rehash of anecdotes with the same question: Are vitamins safe? So goes the Sept. 7 article in the Wall Street Journal headlined, “What’s Really in Supplements?”

Placebos seem to make a difference in research and clinical practice. For that reason, testimonials and open-label trial results should never be provided as sole evidence of efficacy when a product marketing campaign is challenged by a regulatory authority.

The confusion surrounding steroid use in professional baseball has taken another strange turn. The Associated Press and New York Times report that eight of the 104 players who tested positive for steroids in 2003 fall into another category.