Miscellaneous
Just Say No – Forbes
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 complications growing out of America’s…
Read MoreSafety of American Drugs Questioned – Assoc Press
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 Associated Press puts it this…
Read MoreTwo-thirds foster care children in Mass on psych drugs_Globe /Psychiatry: Soviet Experience–American Fallacy
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 many children in state care…
Read MoreRecycled drugs: failed antidepressants– Stratera marketed for ADHD; Cymbalta for incontinence
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 been tested in clinical trials,…
Read MoreDoctors Without Borders: Why you can’t trust medical journals anymore
Doctors Without Borders: Why you can’t trust medical journals anymore Thu, 6 May 2004 Shannon Brownlee’s article in The Washington Monthly documents how conflicts of interest in medical research affect the integrity of research reports. Hear an interview with Shannon Brownlee on NPR at: http://www.npr.org/features/feature.php?wfId=1874563 The article, Doctors Without Borders, had originally been commissioned by…
Read MoreCong Hearing Re: Disclosure Pediatric SSRI Trials
Cong Hearing Re: Disclosure Pediatric SSRI Trials Wed, 7 Jul 2004 A hearing has been tentatively set for July 20th by the House subcommittee on oversight and investigations, chaired by Congressman James Greenwood. The hearing will address issues of disclosure involving pediatric antidepressant drug trials–or more accurately, non-disclosure of adverse findings. The unpublished evidence comes…
Read More20% Drop in Psych Drugs Prescribed for US Children – WashPost
20% Drop in Psych Drugs Prescribed for US Children – WashPost Sat, 8 Oct 2005 The Washington Post reports (below) that prescriptions for antidepressants for children have dropped an unprecedented 20% in the US. A continuing series of substantiated reports and Black Box warnings about an increased risk of suicide, have overturned public misperceptions about…
Read MoreDebate: When Is it Ethical / Unethical to Use Placebo? – PLoS
Debate: When Is it Ethical / Unethical to Use Placebo? – PLoS Wed, 12 Oct 2005 A debate in PLoS Medicine addresses the question: Should researchers test an experimental treatment against placebo to prove the superiority of the new treatment? The ethical standards for research adopted by the World Medical Association as defined in the…
Read MoreLies & Broken Promises – Drug firm Websites Fail to Disclose Test Data
Lies & Broken Promises_Drug firm Websites Fail to Disclose Test Data Sun, 9 Jan 2005 One year after PhRMA’s publicized proclamation of its “commitment to transparency” The Boston Globe reviewed pharmaceutical company websites searching for disclosure of clinical trial data. The Globe found that this voluntary approach failed miserably: “Last year’s commitment by members of…
Read MoreCharitable Choice: Research Grants–Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – National Journal
Charitable Choice: Research Grants–Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation – National Journal Tue, 8 Mar 2005 The Washington Post reports that conservatives have crafted a “bioethics agenda” on cloning and stem cell research. Such an agendaq determines what research the government will and will not fund. http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A15569-2005Mar7.html Below is an excerpt of a fascinating article in the…
Read MoreFederal Study Finds No Benefit of New Antipsychotic Drugs – WashPost/Wall StreetJ/NY Times
Federal Study Finds No Benefit of New Antipsychotic Drugs – WashPost/Wall StreetJ/NY Times Tue, 20 Sep 2005 The findings of a $44 million government sponsored study, CATIE, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, comparing an older generic antipsychotic to four new atypical antipsychotics, undercut the legitimacy of psychiatry’s treatment and practice guidelines for…
Read More$95 billion a year spent on medical research in US – JAMA
$95 billion a year spent on medical research in US – JAMA Fri, 23 Sep 2005 A special issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association, JAMA, focuses on medical research spending and findings. A study that examined US spending for medical research—$95 billion approaching $100 billion–57% is spent by industry, 28% by NIH.…
Read More