Drug Tested in Gulf War Is Approved for Troops_NYT Thu, 6 Feb 2003 The New York Times reports that FDA has approved the drug, pyridostigmine bromide for use by the military. The drug had been used experimentally during the Gulf War in 1991. It has been the center of controversy…
Clarification Re: safety of pyridostigmine, Drug tested in Gulf War Thu, 27 Feb 2003 Although pyridostigmine bromide (PB) apparently causes only short-term symptoms when used for its two indications (myasthenia gravis and reversal of muscle relaxants post-anesthesia), the issue of whether it was safe when used in the presence of…
Just Say NO to (Legal) Drugs_The Other War on Drugs_WSJ Feb 13, 2003 For the second time in 24 hours, the FDA has approved an anti-depressant to treat a new “ailment”–social anxiety disorder, also known as social phobia. On February 10 Zoloft was approved for this ailment, and on the…
Experiment infects AIDS patients in China with malaria Mon, 17 Feb 2003 The Cincinnati Enquirer reports that two prominent AIDS researchers at UCLA are being investigted for “taking part in a controversial medical experiment with Cincinnati physician Henry Heimlich to infect AIDS patients in China with malaria.” The experiments purportedly…
Repeal of Thimerosal Rider under Omnibus Approriations Bill Thu, 20 Feb 2003 Congress has acted! On Valentine’s Day, Congress passed the Omnibus Appropriation Act, repealing the thimerosal protection rider that had been slipped into Homeland Security Act. Vaccine manufacturers are no longer protected from liability. Parents may exercise their right…
Fuzzy ethics of nonlethal chemical weapons_Christian Science Monitor Sun, 16 Feb 2003 ON February 5, Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld and General Myers, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, told the House Armed Services Committee the US was prepared to use chemical incapacitants in a war with Iraq. (An audio…
Drug Testing Debate – Parenting Mag 4 Pt. Series Tue, 22 Oct 2002 Parenting Magazine published a 5-part report about the impact on children of FDA’s “The Pediatric Rule.” That Rule provides drug companies six month patent extension on drugs tested in children. This financial windfall could translate into some…
Last Journey of Artificial Heart Recipient – NYT Tue, 8 Oct 2002 Sheryl Gay Stolberg’s drama-filled, but sobering article in The New York Times, chronicles the ordeal of James Quinn, the subject of an extraordinary and wrenching medical experiment in which his heart was replaced with an artificial one. From…
Advisory Panel: What Protections for Children, fetuses, embryos? Wed, 30 Oct 2002 The Washington Post reports that the administration has issued a new charter for a federal advisory committee extending safeguards for human subjects to include embryos and fetuses along with children and adults. Whatever the intent of the Bush…
Institute of Medicine (IOM) Panel Misses the Point re Test Subjects October 3, 2002 See also the following Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences documents: IOM Report: Responsible Research: A Systems Approach to Protecting Research Participants. Oct. 3, 2002 (Adobe Acrobat document) IOM Public Briefing – October…
October 18, 2002. Pediatric Drug Tests_CNN / NYT Editorial Children are increasingly being exploited for profit by the biomedical industry. Between 1983 and 1997, children had been protected from medical experiments that are not in their best interest. But in 1997 Congress passed the FDA Modernization Act (FDAMA), providing a…
Conflicts of Interest Rampant in Medical Research – NEJM / News Tribune (Wash) Thu, 24 Oct 2002 A Duke University survey published in The New England Journal of Medicine today, confirms the claims made by critics: clinical research at academic institutions is not governed by ethical standards–clinical research is entirely…
