CBSHealthWatch By Medscape Uses Internet to Post News and Information Alerting Consumers to Federal Trade Commission Actions On Essiac Tea and CMO.Business Editors & Health/Medical Writers NEW YORK--(BW HealthWire)--April 6, 2000 Both Consumers and Journalists Can Get Immediate Information, Background On FTC's `Operation Cure.All' Announcement Issued This Week CBSHealthWatch by Medscape, http://cbs.healthwatch.com, a leading consumer health information site, today announced that it has posted extensive news and background regarding a U.S. Federal Trade Commission (FTC FTC See Federal Trade Commission (FTC). ) announcement that it is taking "Operation Cure.All" enforcement actions against Internet distributors of the alternative remedies essiac tea and Cetylmyristoleate (CMO CMO See: Collateralized mortgage obligation CMO See collateralized mortgage obligation (CMO). ) for what it says are misleading health claims. Both advanced and professional-level stories on the actions and the remedies can be accessed by consumers and journalists through the Alternative Medicine "Health Channel" on CBSHealthWatch, one of 39 such sections on a wide variety of conditions and health interests. The package includes four stories: "Are Health Claims for Essiac Tea Realistic?," "Does CMO Cure All? Or Nothing at All?," "Complementary Medicine: Separating the Wheat from the Chaff chaff 1. chaffed hay; called also chop. 2. the winnowings from a threshing, consisting of awns, husks, glumes and other relatively indigestible materials. ," and "Alternative Medicine: The AMA (Automatic Message Accounting) The recording and reporting of telephone calls within a telephone system. It includes the calling and called parties and start and stop times of the call. Reviews the Scientific Evidence." The last article, drawn from Clinician Reviews, is written for health professionals. Clinician Reviews is a member of Medscape's Publishers' Circle(R), a group of prominent content providers who have joined forces with Medscape to disseminate high-quality healthcare information on the Web. CBSHealthWatch has differentiated itself from other consumer health sites by providing three levels of information, basic, advanced and "what my doctor reads," with the last category bringing consumers professional-level information drawn from the CBSHealthWatch sister site, medscape.com, www.medscape.com. Both sites are operated by Medscape, Inc. (NASDAQ NASDAQ in full National Association of Securities Dealers Automated Quotations U.S. market for over-the-counter securities. Established in 1971 by the National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD), NASDAQ is an automated quotation system that reports on NM: MSCP MSCP Mass Storage & Control Protocol MSCP Multi-Storey Car Park MSCP Multi-Species Conservation Program MSCP Managed Services Channel Program (Cisco) MSCP Master of Science in Counseling Psychology MSCP Microsoft Certified Professional ), a leading provider of authoritative health and medical information on the Internet since 1995. The FTC claims it is illegal for distributors of essiac tea and CMO to make health claims until there is adequate substantiation to support them. Essiac tea is a nontoxic, herbal combination that, its proponents say, has a number of anticancer properties and immune-stimulating actions. CMO has been touted as a cure for arthritis, fibromyalgia fibromyalgia Chronic syndrome that is characterized by musculoskeletal pain, often at multiple sites. The cause is unknown. A significant number of persons with fibromyalgia also have mental disorders, especially depression. , chronic fatigue syndrome chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), collection of persistent, debilitating symptoms, the most notable of which is severe, lasting fatigue. In other countries it is known variously as myalgic encephalomyelitis, chronic fatigue and immune dysfunction syndrome, and , lupus, spinal arthritis, hepatitis, spinal stenosis Spinal Stenosis Definition Spinal stenosis is any narrowing of the spinal canal that causes compression of the spinal nerve cord. Spinal stenosis causes pain and may cause loss of some body functions. , high blood pressure, and high cholesterol. Proponents claim it is completely safe, even in high doses, with no side effects, and an 80% success rate in treating arthritis. CBSHealthWatch produced a similar package of stories late last month to alert and educate consumers regarding the U.S. Food and Drug Administration's (FDA FDA abbr. Food and Drug Administration FDA, n.pr See Food and Drug Administration. FDA, n.pr the abbreviation for the Food and Drug Administration. ) request for the removal from the market of Rezulin (troglitazone troglitazone a thiazolidinedione compound that enhances peripheral insulin resistance in the management of diabetes mellitus. ) - a drug used to treat type 2 diabetes mellitus Type 2 diabetes mellitus One of the two major types of diabetes mellitus, characterized by late age of onset (30 years or older), insulin resistance, high levels of blood sugar, and little or no need for supple-mental insulin. . The drug's manufacturer, Parke-Davis/Warner-Lambert, complied with the FDA's request. "The Internet gives us tremendous reach to alert and inform consumers on the latest developments in health care, including government warnings on pharmaceuticals and alternative therapies," said Marnie LaVigne, PhD, Medscape, Inc.'s Vice President -CBSHealthWatch. "Timely, authoritative health information on the Web is empowering consumers to take charge of their own health, while helping physicians to enhance the practice of medicine and improve communication with patients, especially on these important issues." About Medscape, Inc. Medscape, Inc. (NASDAQ NM: MSCP), the leading provider of authoritative health and medical information on the Internet since 1995, currently operates two primary healthcare Web sites, medscape.com and CBSHealthWatch by Medscape. As of December 31, 1999, Medscape, Inc.'s sites had more than 1.7 million registered members worldwide, including over 280,000 registered as physicians, 860,000 registered as allied health professionals and 630,000 registered as consumers worldwide. Medscape.com, www.medscape.com, provides comprehensive, authoritative and timely medical information and interactive programs to physicians, allied healthcare professionals and consumers, and includes the following specialty sites and pages: Medscape Japan, http://japan.medscape.com, Medscape General Medicine, or MedGenMed, www.medscape.com/journal/MedGenMed, believed to be the first and only peer-reviewed online general medical journal; Medical Office Management, http://medoffice.medscape.com, Medscape Nursing, http://nursing.medscape.com; Medscape Pharmacists, http://pharmacists.medscape.com; Medscape Med Students, http://medstudents.medscape.com; and Today on Medscape, http://www.medscape.com/today, featuring the latest health and medical news. The Company also operates CBSHealthWatch by Medscape, http://cbs.healthwatch.com, the recently launched consumer site designed to help families and individuals make better informed healthcare decisions and to simplify management of their healthcare needs. Developed jointly with CBS Corporation, the site provides personalized, authoritative medical content written for the consumer, access to professional content on medscape.com and interactive personal health management tools, such as health diaries. CBS (Cell Broadcast Service) See cell broadcast. and the CBS eye device are registered trademarks of CBS Broadcasting Inc. Investors and security holders are urged to read the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus included in the registration statement on Form S-4 filed by MedicaLogic, Inc. (NASD NASD See: National Association of Securities Dealers NASD See National Association of Securities Dealers (NASD). :MDLI MDLI Molecular Design Limited ) with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) in connection with the proposed merger with Medscape, Inc. because it contains important information. Investors and security holders may obtain a free copy of the definitive joint proxy statement/prospectus filed by MedicaLogic with the SEC at the SEC's Web site, www.sec.gov. The statements made in this press release contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933 and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934 that involve a number of risks and uncertainties. Actual events or results may differ from the Company's expectations. |
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