Ian Kerridge

September 16, 2021

Vaccinations need to reach 90% of First Nations adults and teens to protect vulnerable communities

Paul Komesaroff, Monash University; Donna Ah Chee, Indigenous Knowledge; Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney, and John Boffa, Curtin University

Many Aboriginal community controlled health services are already running urgent vaccination campaigns within their existing resources, but more needs to be done.

May 4, 2021

India is facing a terrible crisis. How can Australia respond ethically?

Paul Komesaroff, Monash University; Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney, and Wendy Lipworth, University of Sydney

Providing foreign aid is not always straightforward. But here are some practical ways Australia might be able to help India.

November 17, 2020

We may have to accept a ‘good enough’ COVID‑19 vaccine, at least in 2021

Paul Komesaroff, Monash University; Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney, and Ross Upshur, University of Toronto

We will struggle to find a vaccine that works perfectly for people who need it most, despite what the headlines say is coming in 2021.

May 15, 2020

Yes, we need a global coronavirus inquiry, but not for petty political point‑scoring

Paul Komesaroff, Monash University; Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney, and Ross Upshur, University of Toronto

The US and its allies are demanding answers over how COVID-19 became a pandemic. But instead of pointing fingers at China, the inquiry should focus on scientific clues to help us thwart future disasters.

April 6, 2020

A coronavirus spike may put ICU beds in short supply. But that doesn’t mean the elderly shouldn’t get them

Paul Komesaroff, Monash University; George Skowronski, and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

Rather than basing decisions about ICU access on age, clinicians need to consider the potential benefits and burdens of treatments proposed for every patient.

March 24, 2020

The US is fast‑tracking a coronavirus vaccine, but bypassing safety standards may not be worth the cost

Paul Komesaroff, Monash University; Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney, and Lyn Gilbert, University of Sydney

We urgently need a vaccine for COVID-19 but exposing humans to a vaccine candidate that hasn’t undergone the usual safety assessments is risky.

March 16, 2020

Pandemi COVID‑19 munculkan 3 pertanyaan besar dan sulit. Siapkah kita menjawabnya?

Paul Komesaroff, Monash University and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

Menyeimbangkan kebebasan pribadi, seperti kebebasan untuk bepergian dan kebebasan untuk memilih atau menolak perawatan medis, dengan membatasi penyebaran penyakit adalah tantangan besar lainnya.

March 11, 2020

The coronavirus pandemic is forcing us to ask some very hard questions. But are we ready for the answers?

Paul Komesaroff, Monash University and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

How do we develop new drugs quickly yet safely? How prepared are we to give up some personal freedoms? And how do we allocate scarce resources? These are just some of the tough questions we face.

February 5, 2020

‘I want to stare death in the eye’: why dying inspires so many writers and artists

Claire Hooker, University of Sydney and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

Public figures, authors, artists and journalists have long written about their experience of dying. But why do they do it? And what do we gain?

November 1, 2017

Financial motives drive some doctors’ decisions to offer IVF

Wendy Lipworth, University of Sydney; Brette Blakely, Macquarie University, and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

Some patients might be offered IVF who don’t actually need it, and some might be offered repeated cycles of treatment, even when they aren’t likely to succeed.

October 27, 2017

Finally, unproven stem cell clinic practices might be curtailed

Megan Munsie, The University of Melbourne; Cameron Stewart, University of Sydney, and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

After much lobbying, the TGA has announced it will crack down on dodgy stem cell clinics.

March 10, 2016

CommInsure scandal reminds us commercial forces are at play in medicine

Wendy Lipworth, University of Sydney; Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney, and Narcyz Ghinea, University of Sydney

Because doctors are so powerful, it is essential they always use their skills and authority to act in their patient’s best interests.

January 8, 2016

Editer les génomes, une chance pour la greffe d’organes animaux chez l’homme

Ronald Kam Fai Fung, University of Sydney and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

La greffe d’organes animaux sur l’homme répond à la pénurie de dons mais pose de sérieux problèmes de rejets et d’infection. La nouvelle technique d’édition génétique CRISPR/Cas9 pourrait aider.

December 3, 2015

Gene editing could open up animal organ transplants into humans

Ronald Kam Fai Fung, University of Sydney and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

Public attention is focused on whether we should use gene editing technology on embryos, but it could potentially have a bigger and more immediate impact on human health via animal organ donation.

July 26, 2015

If we don’t talk about value, cancer drugs will become terminal for health systems

Narcyz Ghinea, University of Sydney; Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney, and Wendy Lipworth, University of Sydney

Hope, fear, and desperation, along with the unique characteristics of the cancer drug market, create a “perfect storm” that continues to drive up prices for cancer drugs.

June 15, 2015

Propaganda or cost of innovation? The high price of new drugs

Narcyz Ghinea, University of Sydney; Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney, and Wendy Lipworth, University of Sydney

Ever wonder how much it costs to develop a new drug? The Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development estimates US$2.6 billion. But how accurate is this figure?

June 11, 2015

How we can increase Australia’s organ donation rate

Aric Bendorf, University of Sydney; Ainsley Newson, University of Sydney, and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

The answer to increasing the rate is already clear: we need to better manage patients nearing brain death.

September 4, 2014

Asylum seeker’s ‘brain death’ shows failure of care and of democracy

Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney and David Isaacs, University of Sydney

The news that Hamid Kehazaei, a 24-year-old Iranian asylum seeker detained on Manus Island, has been diagnosed as brain dead following his transfer to the Mater Hospital in Brisbane is a tragedy. That…

August 24, 2014

Epidemic ethics: four lessons from the current Ebola outbreak

Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney and Lyn Gilbert, University of Sydney

The extent of the current Ebola virus outbreak in West Africa has belatedly focused the attention of non-governmental organisations, local and Western governments, and international media. What we haven’t…

August 13, 2014

There’s more to Pradaxa’s problems than meets the eye

Wendy Lipworth, University of Sydney and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

Pharmaceutical companies don’t have a particularly good reputation, for some very good reasons. But we can’t let suspicions about the motives of such companies cloud our assessments of drug safety because…

June 18, 2014

Academics on the payroll: the advertising you don’t see

Wendy Lipworth, University of Sydney and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

In the endless drive to get people’s attention, advertising is going ‘native’, creeping in to places formerly reserved for editorial content. In this Native Advertising series we find out what it looks…

June 2, 2014

Why care about the health and well‑being of asylum seekers?

Stacy Carter, University of Sydney and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

A report on the refugee detention centre in Nauru by five independent clinical experts posted online by The Guardian on Friday paints a bleak picture of life on the island, particularly for children. But…

May 27, 2014

The Walking Wounded calls for a rethink of what we most value

Paul Komesaroff, Monash University; Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney, and Wendy Lipworth, University of Sydney

Starting with Karl Marx, many thinkers have pointed out that the creative potential of the capitalist economic system comes at a cost – the lack of inherent ethical scruples to limit the inexorable logic…

April 17, 2014

Does the weight of evidence signal the end of homeopathy?

David C Levy, University of Sydney and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

The National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) recently completed a review of the evidence for homeopathy’s effectiveness and, after analysing systematic reviews of clinical trials, concluded…

October 21, 2013

Forget tea and biscuits, why should doctors get any gifts from pharma companies?

Wendy Lipworth, UNSW and Ian Kerridge, University of Sydney

The Australian Medical Association (AMA) and medical specialist groups are currently debating public disclosure of gifts received by doctors from pharmaceutical companies. The bone of contention is how…