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…
NIH Chief Calls for Ethics Summit to address Conflicts of Interest in Medical Research – LA Times Mon, 14 Feb 2005 AHRP applauds Dr. Elias Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health, for stepping up to the plate as a leader of an agency that will award about $21…
Worry Spreads Over G.I. Drug Side Effects Sun, 13 Feb 2005 Lariam, an anti-malaria drug developed by the US military. According to the Associated Press report (below) a review by the Department of Veterans’ Affairs found 34 articles in medical journals about patients who took Lariam and became paranoid, psychotic…
Fewer Kids Prescribed Drugs for Depression – WashPost Wed, 2 Feb 2005 A report by Medco revealing a decline in SSRI prescriptions for children is giving drug industry stakeholders nightmares about the cash flow. The Washington Post reports "medical groups such as the American Psychiatric Association and the American Academy…
