Top FDA Officials, Compromised by Conflicts of Interest
Two high ranking FDA officials’ conflicts of interest have led one to resign, the other is under investigation by the Inspector General of the Department of Health and Human Services:
FDA Approves Another Dangerous Antipsychotic, Asenapine
At the July 30, 2009 FDA advisory committee hearing, the only formal presentations at the meeting were a summary of the safety and efficacy data by the sponsor.
Schism Between Ethical Principles and the US Regulatory System
A system that was established to safeguard human subjects by implementing those ethical principles is, instead, geared toward lending the appearance of legitimacy to ethical expediency and corner-cutting at the expense of safety for the subjects of clinical trials and for consumers who are at increased risk of harm from defective drugs and devices.
Safety Concerns about the of H1N1 Swine flu Vaccine & Public Policy
History is about to repeat itself: This is a follow up to a July 26, 2009 I nfomail.
Big Pharma Declares Victory in Deal With White House
Essentially PhRMA won the right to continue bilking the beleaguered American taxpayer–a concession won under the Bush Administration which prohibited Medicare to negotiate prescription drug prices.
Ghosted Journal Articles Undermine Integrity of Medicine
Today’s New York Times reports (below) that "court documents provide a paper trail showing that Wyeth contracted with a medical communications company to outline articles, draft them and then solicit top physicians to sign their names, even though many of the doctors contributed little or no writing."
Pfizer-Neurontin Trial Testimony:”snake-oil list”
“I was trained from day one to market the drug illegally…My job was to promote Neurontin and motivate doctors to experiment on patients. After being hired as a medical liaison, I was selling drugs. The uses promoted were from the “snake-oil list” of 13 medical conditions."
US Federal Judge Orders Wyeth Documents Unsealed
A U.S. federal judge has issued an order to unseal thousands of Wyeth Pharmaceutical documents that provide details about the company’s "mammoth" ghostwriting campaign.
Update: Ramifications of Swine Flu Vaccine Immunity
In 2006, PREPA was passed due to fear of an avian flu pandemic, in the event the avian
flu virus mutated to enable person-to-person spread. Avian flu then had a 70% death rate.
ACRE–A High Powered Harvard Stealth Pharma Front Group
ACRE’s mission is to persuade physicians that MORE rather than less industry involvement in Continuing Medical Education programs is good for patients–much as industry’s "Harry and Louise" ads were aimed at convincing the public that universal healthcare was BAD for them.
Swine Flu Vaccine Trials begin–160M Shots ordered
…an aggressive campaign to vaccinate against the swine flu–EVEN BEFORE THE VACCINE’S SAFETY HAS BEEN TESTED, or the safety of the vaccine adjuvants have been tested.
Is the Schizophrenia Mortality Study in The Lancet CREDIBLE?
Unless the overall treatment and services provided to schizophrenia patients in Finland is unique and especially protective—which the authors do not suggest—their claimed findings of lowered mortality rates for antipsychotic drug users are belied by a consistent body of evidence.