![\"HandBones.jpg\"](\"https:\/\/blogs.nature.com\/spoonful\/files\/HandBones.jpg\")
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— Shall I compare thee to another drug? Please do. According to a new report<\/a>, the US is lagging in comparative<\/a> effectiveness<\/a> research \u2014 studies that compare one treatment to another. Of the 328 studies analyzed, only 43% compared drug efficacies, while 19% looked at safety and just 2% weighed costs. (Reuters<\/a>)<\/p>\n — A study<\/a> found that circumcision<\/a> made no difference in HIV<\/span> infection rates among nearly 5,000 homosexual and bisexual men. The three-year study of Western populations is in stark contrast to a study<\/a> of sub-Saharan heterosexual men that found a 60% reduction in infection rates over two years. (Reuters<\/a>)<\/p>\n — To mark the one-year anniversary of President Obama\u2019s executive order<\/a> that eased restrictions<\/a> on embryonic stem cell research, US lawmakers<\/a> yesterday reintroduced legislation that would prevent potential policy reversals from future residents of 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Two similar bills were previously approved by Congress, but they were vetoed<\/a> by former President George W. Bush. (ScienceInsider<\/a>)<\/p>\n — New data suggests that long-term use of bisphosphonates \u2014 osteoporosis drugs<\/a> including Fosamax and Boniva \u2014 could actually harm women with the bone-thinning disease. Researchers at a meeting<\/a> of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons said they saw a higher risk of an unusual femur fracture among postmenopausal women who took the drugs for more than four years, compared to women taking vitamin D and calcium supplements (LATimes<\/a>). For a possible replacement therapy to bisphosphonates, watch this video<\/a> covering a paper<\/a> published in this month\u2019s Nature Medicine<\/em>.<\/p>\n Image by ansik<\/a> via Flickr Creative Commons<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" — Shall I compare thee to another drug? Please do. According to a new report, the US is lagging in comparative effectiveness research \u2014 studies that compare one treatment to another. Of the 328 studies analyzed, only 43% compared drug efficacies, while 19% looked at safety and just 2% weighed costs. (Reuters) — A study found that circumcision made no difference in HIV infection rates among nearly 5,000 homosexual and bisexual men. The three-year study of Western populations is in stark contrast to a study of sub-Saharan heterosexual men that found a 60% reduction in infection rates over two years. Read more<\/a> Continue reading