At FDA, Graham is still the whistle-blower – USA Today Thu, 17 Nov 2005 On Nov. 18, 2004, Dr. David Graham, FDA’s associate director for science and medicine, blew the whistle in testimony before the Senate Finance Committee, on FDA’s “profound regulatory failure” to protect the public against lethal prescription…
Federal Court (Illinois) Rejects FDA-Daniel Troy Preemption Argument Fri, 11 Nov 2005 In yet another federal case (Zikis v Pfizer) involving the company’s failure to warn physicians and the public about the increased risk of suicide effects for pediatric patients prescribed Zoloft, the court rejected Pfizer’s argument that it didn’t need to war…
AHRP Position Statement on Mental Health Screening – FDA Hearing Re: Drug Advertising Wed, 02 Nov 2005 FDA is holding public hearings (Nov 1, 2) Re: Direct-to-Consumer Promotion of Medical Products at: National Transportation Safety Board Boardroom and Conference Center 429 L’Enfant Plaza, SW., Washington, DC 2 Time: 9:00 –5:00….
Anthrax shots may be required in military – Assoc Press Thu, 1 Dec 2005 After a US District Judge suspended the forced anthrax vaccine program in the military, the Bush Administration is attempting to reinstate mandatory anthrax vaccine inoculations for military personnel. The less evidence, it seems, that there is to demonstrate…
Psychopharmacology in Turmoil: David Healy, MD Presentation Columbia + Debate Dr. Joseph Coyne, Ph.D Fri, 9 Dec 2005 Recent reports describing a determined effort to pathologize US infants and toddlers who are being declared to suffer from “severe mental disorders”–the latest, most aggressively marketed diagnosis for children is Bipolar disorder,…
Pfizer Fires a Vice President Who Criticized Company’s Sales Practices Fri, 2 Dec 2005 Word of the day: “The Department of Justice simply does not have enough lawyers and investigators to handle the volume of false claims act suits coming its way. There are right now 150 cases under seal…
Scientific Fraud & Corruption on Both sides of Atlantic: Merck / Proctor & Gamble Sun, 11 Dec 2005 Two major cases of medical research fraud on each side of the Atlantic involve evidence of fraud and data tampering by pharmaceutical company giants. Both cases provide insight into the way in…
Drugs, Devices & Doctors – NYT Paul Krugman Fri, 16 Dec 2005 New York Times columnist, Paul Krugman, got it right! The real story behind the crisis at Merck, the Cleveland Clinic, and the medical industrial complex as a whole “is bigger than either the company or the clinic. It’s…
Doctors On the Take-Engaging in Vairous Dubious Activities for Cash / Stock Options Tue, 16 Aug 2005 A series of current articles in The Wall Street Journal, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA), and the New York Times describe the many questionable non-medical income-producing activities that America¹s physicians…
Director of NIH Agrees To Loosen Ethics Rules Fri, 26 Aug 2005 “All animals are equal…but some animals are more equal than others….” The rules on conflict of interest for scientists at the National Institutes of Health have once again been changed to accommodate public servants with an overpowering sense…
Are we all going mad, or are the experts crazy? / Are psychiatric drugs an assault on the human condition? Fri, 19 Aug 2005 Below, two companion pieces: An Op Ed in the Los Angeles Times, by Stuart Kirk, a professor of social welfare at UCLA, addresses psychiatry’s conundum: the…
FDA Response to Utah Court Must Be Truthful Re: Zoloft / SSRI Suicidal Risks Mon, 29 Aug 2005 Related link: FDA Amicus Curiae–Kallas–claims FDA infallibility pre-empts state safety laws (warning: large 1.6 MB file) A federal judge in Utah has asked the FDA to explain its position as it relates…
