FDA, Merck probing data for possible mood, suicide risk with Singulair
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration recently announced it is investigating the possibility of increased risk of mood changes and suicidal behavior among people taking Singulair. In its statement, the FDA said that asthma patients should not stop taking Singulair without talking to their doctors. Manufacturer Merck and the FDA are working to determine the problem’s scope and make any potentially needed labeling changes. The FDA has asked Merck to review Singulair study data for additional information regarding suicide risk. The FDA is studying post-marketing reports of adverse events.

Study says drug trials regularly exclude certain populations
The typical way drugs have been tested for decades in the United States has routinely excluded or under-represented female, minority, disabled, elderly and rural populations, according to a recent study by the Chronic Disease Prevention & Control Research Center at the Baylor College of Medicine in conjunction with the Intercultural Cancer Council, both of Houston. More than 300 analysts conducted a four-year, in-depth review of policy positions held by public, private and nonprofit clinical trial sponsors in the U.S. They found that of approximately 80,000 clinical trials conducted each year, less than 1 percent of the American population participates in them. And, the authors note, under-representation by minorities, such as blacks, Asian-Pacific Islanders, Hispanics and Native Americans, in addition to lack of age and gender diversity, leads to results that do not account for a host of factors that could affect how well drugs work in the real world. The research was funded by an unrestricted educational grant by Genentech Inc.

A message from Dr. Bryan L. Martin, chairman, A/I Residency Review Committee

View new vodcasts of the Named Lectures
Presentations from the Named Lectures at the 2007 ACAAI Annual Meeting, are vodcast weekly.

• “John P. McGovern Lecture: Allergy Skin Testing” – by Dr. John J. Oppenheimer


• “Stanislaus Jaros Lecture: Drug Allergy – What Should We Do Without Pre-Pen?” – by Dr. David A. Khan

In Memoriam: Dr. Alexander McCausland
The College mourns the loss of Dr. Alexander McCausland, Roanoke, Va., ACAAI past president (AACIA, 1976-77), who died March 24 at age 95.

“Dr. McCausland was the longest practicing allergist – practicing for 70 years prior to his retirement in 2005,” said ACAAI Past President Dr. Robert M. Miles, Lynchburg, Va. “He was a very caring individual and his entire life was dedicated to his patients. He went to the office 7 days a week, and saw patients 6 days a week.”

“He was very proud that his grandfather was General John McCausland, who led Confederate forces in their defeat of General Hunter and prevented his troops from destroying the town of Lynchburg. He was an avid history buff,” Dr. Miles said.

Highly recognized by the College, in 1998 Dr. McCausland was honored with the ACAAI Distinguished Fellow Award and an Award of Achievement for 50 Years of Allergy Practice. He also received the AACIA Distinguished Clinicians Award in 1983, and the ACA Award of Merit in 1978.

Active locally as well as nationally, he served as president of the Roanoke Academy of Medicine, the Southeastern Allergy Association, the Medical Society of Virginia and the Virginia Allergy Society; and he was a Delegate to the AMA House of Delegates for 10 years as a representative from Virginia.

Dr. McCausland was founder and director of the Allergy Clinic at Veterans Administration (VA) Hospital; founder and first director of the Allergy Clinic, Roanoke Memorial Hospital; and co-founder of the Oscar Swineford Jr. Professorship in Allergy at the University of Virginia.

“I have never known of an allergist at once so beloved of his patients and so highly regarded by his colleagues both inside and outside of his specialty,” said Dr. Dane C. McBride, Roanoke, Va., an associate of Dr. McCausland for 23 years.

To refer to a previous Board Review Corner, click the “FIT Archive” link in the left column.

Review Questions: Chapter 24 of Pediatric Allergy: Principles & Practices, edited by Donald Y.M. Leung, et al. Review questions were written by Drs. John Kemp, Penn State University at Milton Hershey Medical Center; and Jennifer Mbuthia and Bret Haymore, Walter Reed Army Medical Center.