Outside review of clinical data finds a spinal treatment's benefit overstated

Researchers have long argued that a heralded spinal treatment sold by the nation's largest device maker, Medtronic, was no better than an older one and possibly more risky. Now with the company?s help, they have the proof. The evidence, published on Monday in a medical journal, is the first fruit of a movement aimed at helping doctors and patients make better treatment choices. Its goal is to have companies make clinical data about a drug or a medical device available to a wide range of researchers, not just a few handpicked ones.