UK to crack down further on antidepressants given out ‘like sweets’ Tue, 21 Oct 2003 The British government is cracking down on reckless overprescribing of antidepression drugs (SSRIs) which are depleting public healthcare budgets. The Times (UK) reports that the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE), the British government agency that decides which drugs should…
Is it Cloning? U.S. experiment in China – Baltimore Sun Fri, 17 Oct 2003 Concern has been raised about unauthorized US initiated human experiments conducted offshore. One such experiment is said to come “perilously close to human cloning.” The debate prompted the chief scientist of a biotech company in Singapore to note: “If a German…
WSJ: Court Revives Suit Against Pfizer On Nigeria Study Tue, 14 Oct 2003 Follow up to earlier AHRP Infomail on this case. The Wall Street Journal reports: “The suit against Pfizer is part of a growing trend in international law to try cases against multinational corporations in developed countries for alleged misdeeds committed in the…
A growing Crisis: Aggressive Marketing of drugs for children_Lou Dobbs-CNN Fri, 3 Oct 2003 CNN’s anchor Lou Dobbs, an astute business journalist whose program Lou Dobbs Tonight on CNN examines politics, the economy and a broad range of issues that affect the quality of life and standard of living of viewers. When he pointed a…
Vera Hassner Sharav Published in ETHICAL HUMAN SCIENCES & SERVICES Summer 2003, vol. 5 pp. 83-108 Abstract This paper argues that contrary to the claims made by the research stakeholders in industry, academia and government, the shift in public policy since the enactment of the FDA Modernization Act (FDAMA) of 1997 and its financial incentives…
Walk-in Drug Trial Clinic NYC Upper East Side Wed, 17 Sep 2003 While ethics is currently a hot topic at universities, and ethics committees and conferences have become a growth industry within the research community, ethics has not affected the increasing commercialization of medicine and clinical trials. Dr. Ronald Fieve, a Professor at Columbia Presbyterian…
10 monkeys killed in botched experiment at Johns Hopkins Sat, 6 Sep 2003 To err is human, but Johns Hopkins researchers have shown a tendency to cut corners on safety and ride roughshod with experimental subjects–human and animal. [See: https://ahrp.org/infomail/0701/19.php ] This time the victims are 10 monkeys and baboons who died as a result…
Fast for Freedom: A debate (of sorts) about scientific evidence Sat, 23 Aug 2003 The Medical Director of the APA was unable to cite a single scientific study proving an underlying biochemical basis for any mental illness. An amazing exchange between Dr. James Scully and a panel of experts lays bare the fact that psychiatry’s…
Comments submitted by The Alliance for Human Research Protection Re: Best Pharmaceuticals for Children’s Act of 2002 The National Academy of Sciences Committee of the Institute of Medicine on Clinical Research Involving Children August 18, 2003 Vera Hassner Sharav, President John H. Noble, Jr., Ph.D, Treasurer David Cohen, Ph.D, Secretary Loren Mosher, MD Meryl Nass,…
Comments submitted by The Alliance for Human Research Protection The National Academy of Sciences Committee of the Institute of Medicine on Clinical Research Involving Children August 18, 2003 Vera Hassner Sharav, President John H. Noble, Jr., Ph.D, Treasurer David Cohen, Ph.D, Secretary Loren Mosher, MD Meryl Nass, MD Sally Rogow, Ed.D. These comments are submitted…
AHRP has been closely monitoring pediatric research trends since passage of the FDA Modernization Act of 1997. We believe that medications used in children should be thoroughly tested for safety, effectiveness and appropriate dose. But unlike adults who can exercise their autonomous right to informed consent, children who are enrolled in clinical trials are non-consensual human subjects. They should not, therefore, be made to assume the burden of testing possibly toxic drugs whose safety is unknown.
Debate Over Antidepressants – Letters NYT Mon, 11 Aug 2003 The New York Times published 5 letters re: “Debate Resumes on the Safety of Depression’s Wonder Drugs.” One letter from someone who experienced “a minor depressive episode” and was prescribed Celexa, one of the SSRI antidepressants. He describes experiencing “extreme, almost manic tendencies” during the…
