Miscellaneous
Historical Trail of the “Magic Bullet”and Jewish Medical Pioneers
"The Trail of the Magic Bullet: The Jewish Encounter with Modern Medicine, 1860-1960," an exhibition at Yeshiva University Museum in New York, explores the history, challenges and impact of Jews in modern medicine.
Read MoreWarning-Caution – Antidepressant Dilemma – NYT Magazine
Warning-Caution – Antidepressant Dilemma – NYT Magazine Mon, 22 Nov 2004 Tolstoy wisely observed: “Happy families are all alike; every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.” Suicide is the ultimate tragedy affecting a family; the circumstances surrounding one person’s suicide are not transferable. The cover of Sunday’s New York Times Magazine read: WARNING:…
Read MoreBill would shield some drug firms from punitive damages
Bill would shield some drug firms from punitive damages Wed, 29 Dec 2004 A proposed bill in Congress would be another disincentive for pharmaceutical companies to disclose drug safety problems. Those promoting the bill should be asked to disclose their financial ties to drug companies. In 2000, a mysterious clause giving Eli Lilly immunity from…
Read MoreHoffman LaRoche Rebuffed Call to Monitor Accutane Users – USA Today
Hoffman LaRoche Rebuffed Call to Monitor Accutane Users – USA Today Tue, 7 Dec 2004 An investigative cover story in USA Today – Drugmaker Rebuffed Call to Monitor Users–affirms the indispensable role of litigation in bringing the facts about adverse drug effects to public knowledge. Lawsuits against Hoffman-La Roche, manufacturer of the acne drug, Accutane,…
Read MoreAdvisory Committee tells FDA: strengthen warnings on SSRI drug labels now
Advisory Committee tells FDA: strengthen warnings on SSRI drug labels now Wed, 4 Feb 2004 On February 2, more than 60 families and children from all across America testified at a public FDA advisory committee hearing describing (in 2 minutes) how their children suffered drug-induced harm after being prescribed an SSRI antidepressant drug. Some parents…
Read MoreNYU Students Drugged – NY Post
NYU Students Drugged – NY Post Mon, 19 Apr 2004 Following three suicides by students at New York University (in Sept-October 2003), the University conducted an investigation of the NYU Student Counseling Services. The New York Post reports that an internal 116-page report (December 2003) reveals that whereas drugs were “once a peripheral aspect of…
Read MoreMore than 100 top regulatory officials represented industry as lobbyists, lawyers… – Denver Post
More than 100 top regulatory officials represented industry as lobbyists, lawyers… – Denver Post Mon, 24 May 2004 To understand why government policies affecting healthcare, drug safety, food safety and the environment appear to promote industry interests at the expense of public safety and health, the Denver Post has investigated the administration’s top regulatory officials…
Read MorePaxil for Children: Safety, Efficacy Aren’t Established – Letter WSJ
Paxil for Children: Safety, Efficacy Aren’t Established – Letter WSJ Fri, 9 Jul 2004 Dr. Arnold Relman, Professor Emeritus, Medicine and Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, and former editor of The New England Journal of Medicine, responds to a June 21 editorial in The Wall Street Journal. The editorial attacked New York State Attorney General,…
Read MorePenn Psychiatrist Files Whistleblower Lawsuit – Investigtion Confirms Medicare Chief Lied
Philadelphia Daily News Pharma Influence: Penn Psychiatrist Files Whistleblower Lawsuit – Investigtion Confirms Medicare Chief Lied to Congress Wed, 7 Jul 2004 “Drug companies not only write checks to hospitals, they write checks to politicians…They write checks to both sides of the aisle.” Two separate news reports provide a glimpse into the intricate web of…
Read MoreSerono to pay $704 million for Illegal Marketing AIDS drug and "voodoolike" clinical trials – NYT
Serono to pay $704 million for Illegal Marketing AIDS drug and “voodoolike” clinical trials – NYT Thu, 20 Oct 2005 Another scandal involving corrupt criminal marketing by a bio-pharmaceutical company that illegally marketed an AIDS test and drug by enlisting physicians to prescribe its drug. The New York Times reports that Serono, a Swiss company…
Read MoreResearcher Who Challenged ADHD industry cleared of misconduct charges
Researcher Who Challenged ADHD industry cleared of misconduct charges Sun, 16 Oct 2005 If you thought that academia could not prey to McCarthyite bullying tactics–or could not possibly fall prey to anything like the Salem witch hunts—think again. Dr. Gretchen LeFever, a clinical psychologist and associate professor in the department of paediatrics at the Eastern…
Read MoreNIH Scientists Caught Concealing Millions in Royalties for Experimental Treatments – AP
NIH Scientists Caught Concealing Millions in Royalties for Experimental Treatments – AP Tue, 11 Jan 2005 The Associated Press has uncovered evidence of scientists and administrators at the National Institutes of Health flagrantly disregarding ethical and legal requirements of financial disclosure: "In all, 916 current and former NIH researchers are receiving royalty payments for drugs…
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