10 points about suing the architects of Lyme policy-as a task force meets to review it

BY Mary Beth Pfeiffer

For nearly a generation, a small group of physician-researchers has directed how Lyme disease is diagnosed and treated in the United States, Europe and, as the disease spreads, Canada and Australia too. As a result, US insurance companies routinely refuse to pay for antibiotic treatments longer than 28 days. Doctors have been punished for prescribing them. Patients have been told their lingering problems are psychological or they have other sickness.

Now, a lawsuit asserts that the design and implementation of Lyme disease care–as outlined in the treatment guidelines of the Infectious Diseases Society of America—is rooted in corruption. It asserts that key architects of Lyme policy, naming seven physician-researchers, took money from and worked with insurers to develop guidelines that allowed claims to be denied. The conspiracy involved efforts to belittle the legitimate complaints of patients, the suit asserts, and to stifle competition from doctors who did not follow the IDSA guidelines, which the suit terms “a predatory device.” ...

If you don’t see a list of the court filings CLICK HERE.