Melody Petersen writes:

Researchers have conducted numerous studies that suggest that the heavy marketing of the brand name drugs may be leading doctors to underuse diuretics.

Lawrence Altman says,

For patients who "need more than one medication to control blood pressure � and many people do � one should be a diuretic"

and then adds:

The new study involved 42,418 patients aged 55 and older who had high blood pressure and at least one other risk factor for heart disease.

Although I'm all for capitalism, it looks like when the gummint stops funding research, and the companies start calling the tune we all pay the piper. (Sounds cool even if it doesn't make sense.)