July 23, 2002 Unhealthy Hospitals – 103,000 preventable deaths in 2000 – Chicago Tribune FYI The next time someone suggests that you to enter a clinical trial at a hospital, beware: “The number of people needlessly killed by hospital infections is unbelievable, but the public doesn’t know anything about it….
August 20, 2001 A landmark decision by Maryland’s highest court, the Court of Appeals of Maryland, is a victory for the human rights of children. The decision affirms the responsibility of parents, the government, researchers and institutional review boards (IRB) to protect children from non-therapeutic experiments that may put their health…
Presidential Panel: Mental Health System Dysfunctional Sun, 3 Nov 2002 A panel of policy experts, convened by President Bush has issued a scathing “indictment” of the nation’s mental health care system. The Commission chair, Dr. Michael Hogan, director of the Ohio Department of Mental Health, stated: “We have trapped people…
VA administrators attempt to scuttle legislation to protect patients Wed, 30 Apr 2003 The Alliance for Human Research Protection received the following confidential Veterans Affairs communication describing efforts by VA administrators to scuttle a congressional bill whose aim is to ensure that research conducted at VA facilities is overseen by…
Vaccine Renaissance Outpaces Drug Industry Thu, 5 Dec 2002 For those who had doubts about a financial motivation behind the thrust to vaccinate the population, Reuters reports that the vaccine industry is “launching a new phase” of marketing. Vaccines are outpacing drugs in terms of sales growth–$6.5 billion annually. Spokespersons…
Sen Grassley Expands Investigation – Why did FDA approve Vioxx for Children??? Mon, 18 Oct 2004 The Financial Times of London and The Washington Post report that the Senate Finance Committee is expanding its probe of the FDA and its cosy relationship with drug manufacturers. The Vioxx debacle is but…
“Black Hole” of medical research–Negative Results Don’t get Published – JAMA, WSJ Sat, 5 Jun 2004 “No one likes bad news. But in science, there is an ethical imperative to publish research, even if the findings aren’t what the researcher had hoped for.” The New York Times, which tends to…
Just Say No – Forbes Tue, 16 Nov 2004 When Mrs. Nancy Reagan coined the phrase, Just Say No, she was referring to illicit drug pushers. The current Forbes cover story–Just Say No–refers to the prescription drug industry. "In a perverse kind of symbiosis, the cascade of disease and medical…
Safety of American Drugs Questioned – Assoc Press Thu, 2 Dec 2004 In his CNN news program last evening, Lou Dobbs said the question is no longer whether something is wrong with the FDA’s performance in protecting the public from unsafe drugs–but whether the FDA can even be salvaged? The…
Two-thirds foster care children in Mass on psych drugs_Globe Psychiatry: Soviet Experience–American Fallacy Wed, 11 Aug 2004 The Boston Globe reports that 2/3 of children in state care in Massachusetts are being “treated” for mental illness with psychotropic drugs. Marie Parente, a legislator, and parents call for disclosure of “how…
Recycled drugs: failed antidepressants– Stratera marketed for ADHD; Cymbalta for incontinence Mon, 26 Apr 2004 A front page article in The Wall Street Journal (excerpt below) provides a roadmap of failed Eli Lilly drugs which the company repackaged for a different condition than the one for which the drugs had…
NIH Conflict of Interest Rules_”Option of Corruption”_ children victimized Tue, 18 May 2004 Lawmakers accused leaders of the National Institutes of Health of encouraging “the option of corruption.” NIH medical researchers, who receive the highest salaries in government, think they, unlike others, are entitled to moonlight while employed at taxpayers…
