EPA Proposed Research Rules Leaked Thu Aug 11, 2005 A storm is gathering as EPA’s proposed rules for human pesticide experiments have been made public by the Public Employees for Environmental Responsibility. Stephen Johnson who heads the EPA has delivered what, Eric Olson called, a “slap in the face” to…
Published Clinical Trials Contradict Claimed Benefits – Front Page Pill Pushers Tue Aug 16, 2005 Two items from the BMJ A systemic review of 22 randomized clinical trials of Alzheimer’s disease treatments in the BMJ found the studies to have suffered from flawed methodology and to have revealed that commonly…
10 of 32 FDA Vioxx Panelists Had Industry Ties_NYT / Cozy NIH Review “Clears” NIH Industry Ties_WashPost Fri, 25 Feb 2005 The latest example of the corrupting influence of the pharmaceutical industry on health care policy is the composition of FDA’s advisory panel that last week endorsed the marketing of…
Drug intoxication defense breaks new South Carolina legal ground: Pittman /Zoloft trial Sun, 13 Feb 2005 In South Carolina, temporary insanity does not influence punishment. If found guilty of murder – whether by reason of insanity or not, the sentence is 30 years to life with no parole. Defense attorneys…
’91 Merck Memo Warned of Mercury in Baby Vaccines – LAT Tue, 8 Feb 2005 The Los Angeles Times reports that a 1991 internal Merck memo obtained from a whistleblower by James Moody, a Washington lawyer who works with parent groups on vaccine safety issues, provides the “first hard evidence…
Protecting Editorial Integrity – Dr. Stefan Kreuszewski BMJ Sun, 6 Feb 2005 In his BMJ editorial, “A tough nut to crack,” Kamran Abassi writes: “The drug industry considers the BMJ a tough nut to crack,” an insider recently told us. Publishing a “favourable” research paper is far trickier in the…
Children were the raw material of medical research – CBS 60 Minutes /Newborn Screening for 29 conditions – NYT Mon, 28 Feb 2005 Children have historically been the voiceless victims of medical research abuse – and the doctors and staff who abused them have almost never been held accountable –…
Abuses Endangered Veterans in Cancer Drug Experiments – NYT Sun, 6 Feb 2005 Paul H. Kornak pleaded guilty to fraud, making false statements and criminally negligent homicide in the death of an Air Force veteran, James DiGeorgio – one of the patients he used as subjects in medical experiments that…
DHHS Reverses its Legal Position Petitioning FOR Federal Whistleblower Protection for Dr. Fishbein Thu, 3 Feb 2005 The Washington Post reports: “Department of Health and Human Services filed a legal petition this week in support of an employee the department is trying to fire. HHS told the Merit Systems Protection…
FDA Cut Off Critic’s Access to Drug Safety Database – Chicago Tribune Thu, 24 Feb 2005 The Chicago Tribune reports (below) about an eggregious example of the abuse of power by FDA officials who are retaliating against an independent scientist whose unique research project for detecting rare adverse drug reactions…
Antidepressants Pregnancy Risk: Babies Adversely Affected Sat, 5 Feb 2005 Thanks to the BBC 3-part Panorama series (beginning October 2002), it is no longer a secret that coming off SSRI antidepressants can cause serious symptoms of withdrawal in some users. Christopher Pittman is on trial for killing his grandparents while…
Forbes: Judgment Day for the FDA, Pfizer Wed, 9 Feb 2005 On Feb. 16-18 COX-2 Inhibitor Safety Issues will be the focus of an FDA Advisory Committee and (simultaneously) the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The entire drug industry will be watching with bated breath. Which causal explanation will be offered…
