Legislation Highlights Divisions on Lyme Disease

BOSTON GLOBE

Legislation Highlights Divisions on Lyme Disease  

July 28, 2016 - Health insurers would have to cover long-term antibiotic treatment for Lyme disease under a measure approved by the Massachusetts Legislature. Dozens of infectious-disease specialists are urging a veto, saying extended antibiotic treatment is ineffective and can be harmful. In a phone interview, Dr. Brian Fallon described two small studies suggesting a reduction in fatigue among patient who had the therapy. “The evidence is equivocal,” Fallon said. “We need to be able to identify those patients for whom repeated antibiotic therapy works.”