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…
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…
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…
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…
$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…
P&G Osteoperosis Drug Trials Spark Major Academic Research Debate Re: Concealed Data Friday, November 25, 2005 Dr. Aubrey Blumsohn: “No self-respecting scientist could ever be expected to publish findings based on data to which they do not have complete and full access.” Sri David Weatherall, Professor Emeritus, Oxford: “People need…
Pfizer Fires a Vice President Who Criticized Company’s Sales Practices Fri, 2 Dec 2005 Word of the day: “The Department of Justice simply does not have enough lawyers and investigators to handle the volume of false claims act suits coming its way. There are right now 150 cases under seal…
US transferred virulent anthrax to Iraq; Saddam used it for weapons – London Times Sun, 14 Aug 2005 The author of this Infomail is Meryl Nass, MD, a recognized expert on biological warfare and who had first uncovered the use of anthrax as a biological weapon in Rhodiesia. Dr. Nass is…
How Genentech, Novartis Stifled A Promising Drug – WSJ Tue, 05 Apr 2005 A front page story in The Wall Street Journal should be distributed to every Congress person who will be considering Bioshield II providing yet additional financial incentives and give-a-ways to pharmaceutical companies. The story perfectly illustrates this…
Unhealthy Ethics? The Price of NIH Credibility_ Editorials: WashPost / Los Angeles Times Mon, 11 Apr 2005 Compare and contrast two editorials that focus on the new conflict of interest rules that were adopted by Dr. Elias Zerhouni, director of the National Institutes of Health, to rein in the corrupting…
Ct. Attorney General Files Petition with FDA Seeking Warning on Drug – NYT Sat, 7 May 2005 Connecticut’s Attorney General, Richard Blumenthal, is to be commended for filing a citizen’s petition that essentially asks the FDA to do its job of protecting the public by issuing warnings about the potentially…
Columbia Journalism Review–The Complicity of the Media in Drug Marketing Wed, 27 Jul 2005 An excellent article in the Columbia Journalism Review examines pharmaceutical industry hype and the media’s role in helping that industry create false impressions about the safety and benefits of newly marketed drugs: “stories trumpeting new drugs…
