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The Politicization of Professional Practice Guidelines

John D. Kraemer, JD, MPH; Lawrence O. Gostin, JD

JAMA. 2009;301(6):665-667.

	Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text and any section headings.

The Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) issued updated clinical practice guidelines in 2006 for the diagnosis and treatment of Lyme disease.¹ Within days, the Connecticut attorney general launched an investigation, alleging IDSA had violated state antitrust law by recommending against the use of long-term antibiotics to treat "chronic Lyme disease (CLD)," a label applied by advocates to a variety of nonspecific symptoms for which frequently no evidence suggests the etiologic agent of Lyme disease is responsible. The IDSA was forced to settle the claim to avoid exorbitant litigation costs, even though the society's guidelines were based on sound science. The case exemplifies the politicization of health policy, with elected officials advocating for health policies against the weight of scientific evidence.

The Antitrust Investigation of IDSA

Although untreated or inadequately treated Lyme disease can progress to cause neurological complications and arthritis, there is no evidence the . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Author Affiliations: O’Neill Institute for National and Global Health Law, Georgetown University, Washington, DC.

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RELATED LETTER

Clinical Practice Guideline Development and Antitrust Law
Richard Wolfram
JAMA. 2009;301(24):2548-2549.
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Clinical Practice Guideline Development and Antitrust Law
Wolfram
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