©REUTERS/Andrew Kelly
Pre-reading questions:
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- How do doctors or pharmaceutical companies in your country usually communicate or provide information about treatments or medications?
- What cosmetic procedures are common in your country?
Vocabulary:
I will read the words, meanings, and sample sentences. Then, repeat after me.
- risk /risk/
- severe /suh-VEER/
- dose /dohs/
- treatment /TREET-muhnt/
- spread /spred/
[noun] – the possibility of something bad happening
A lack of exercise can increase the risk of heart disease.
[adjective] – causing very great pain, difficulty, worry, damage, etc.; very serious
The patient’s severe injury required immediate medical attention at the hospital.
[noun] – a measured amount of something such as medicine
The doctor prescribed a specific dose of antibiotics to treat the infection.
[noun] – the use of drugs, exercises, etc. to cure a person of an illness or injury
Physical therapy is a common treatment for muscle injuries and rehabilitation after surgery.
[verb] – to affect more and more areas or extending beyond its intended location
The cancer cells spread throughout his entire body, affecting multiple organs.
Article reading:
Please read the whole article. Then, I will check your pronunciation and intonation.
Consumer advocacy group Public Citizen recently made a formal request to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding Botox and similar injections. They asked for clearer warnings on these products because of the risk of a severe muscle-paralyzing sickness that could be dangerous.
Although these injections are used to remove wrinkles by targeting specific muscles with botulinum toxins, they already have a warning about the intended effect spreading to other areas. Public Citizen wants more explicit warnings that these bad effects could happen even when the injections are given at recommended doses. The group focused their request on six specific injections, including popular ones like Botox, Daxxify, Jeuveau, Myobloc, Dysport, and Xeomin. Additionally, Public Citizen asked the FDA to remove statements saying there are no serious side effects associated with the spread of the toxin from these treatments. They based their request on analyzing over 5,400 reports of deaths, life-threatening events, and other severe side effects related to these treatments. They studied the FDA’s adverse events database to find unusual side effects that might need more investigation or warnings on the products. The group’s main concern was to warn people clearly about a dangerous condition called systemic iatrogenic botulism, which causes muscle paralysis if the toxin spreads beyond where it should.
Although these injections are used to remove wrinkles by targeting specific muscles with botulinum toxins, they already have a warning about the intended effect spreading to other areas. Public Citizen wants more explicit warnings that these bad effects could happen even when the injections are given at recommended doses. The group focused their request on six specific injections, including popular ones like Botox, Daxxify, Jeuveau, Myobloc, Dysport, and Xeomin. Additionally, Public Citizen asked the FDA to remove statements saying there are no serious side effects associated with the spread of the toxin from these treatments. They based their request on analyzing over 5,400 reports of deaths, life-threatening events, and other severe side effects related to these treatments. They studied the FDA’s adverse events database to find unusual side effects that might need more investigation or warnings on the products. The group’s main concern was to warn people clearly about a dangerous condition called systemic iatrogenic botulism, which causes muscle paralysis if the toxin spreads beyond where it should.
Comprehension questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them based on the article.
- What did Public Citizen request from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regarding Botox and similar injections?
- What is the primary purpose of these injections, and what warning do they already carry?
- Which specific injections did Public Citizen focus on in their request to the FDA?
- Why did Public Citizen ask the FDA to remove certain statements associated with these treatments?
- What did Public Citizen analyze to support their request for clearer warnings on these products?
Discussion questions
I will read each question. Then, please answer them.
- Have you or anyone you know ever thought about or had cosmetic treatments like Botox? If yes, how did you or they decide if the benefits were worth the risks? If not, what do you think people think about before getting these treatments?
- Have you experienced situations where the risks of a medicine or treatment weren’t clearly explained? If yes, how did this affect your view of the product or healthcare provider? If not, how important is it for people to know all the risks of medical treatments?
- Do you think the FDA should put clearer warnings on labels of treatments like Botox, even if severe side effects are rare?
- How do you think clearer information about risks, like the danger of severe muscle paralysis from Botox, might change what people and doctors choose to do?
- Considering the reports of serious effects linked to Botox, what should drug companies and the FDA do to make sure people know about the risks while still promoting the benefits?