New Orleans - One day after the early release of the COURAGE trial results, debate among doctors over the applicability of the trial findings suggests the study, while putting to rest some important questions, leaves many more unanswered. Drs William E Boden and William S Weintraub presented the trial results here at the American College of Cardiology (ACC) 2007 Scientific Sessions Tuesday. Weintraub provided quality-of-life (QoL) and economic outcomes analyses that are not included in the paper that was published online March 26, 2007 in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) yesterday

                    

But one of the most burning unresolved questions, at least for the ACC, is who said what about the COURAGE trial at a sponsored satellite symposium on Sunday night, leading to a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) story Monday that prompted the ACC to lift the trial embargo one day early. "There was a statement [Sunday] night . that violated the embargo of this particular trial," ACC spokesperson Dr James Dove said. "It was reported in the media, and we felt it was egregious enough that the rest of the media should not be held accountable to the embargo. . . . We are very upset by the fact that the embargo was broken; it's an ethical violation of the practice of medicine, and we do not condone that kind of activity. Once we investigate the individual or individuals involved, then we'll decide what the sanction should be."