Senator Jeff Bingaman resolution: Review military vaccine program Thu, 4 Dec 2003 After months of denial, on Nov. 19, the Pentagon acknowledged that multiple vaccines may have caused the death of Army nurse Rachael Lacy, who died in April after receiving shots for anthrax, smallpox and three other diseases. Critics…
Director of OHRP Dr. Greg Koski resigns Date: Wed, 16 Oct 2002 Dr. Greg Koski has tendered his resignation as director of the federal Office of Human Research Protections. We agree, in principle, with Dr. Koski’s assessment: “to preserve public trust in research, the scientific community must go beyond a…
Forbes: Judgment Day for the FDA, Pfizer Wed, 9 Feb 2005 On Feb. 16-18 COX-2 Inhibitor Safety Issues will be the focus of an FDA Advisory Committee and (simultaneously) the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The entire drug industry will be watching with bated breath. Which causal explanation will be offered…
THE IMPACT OF THE FDA MODERNIZATION ACT ON THE RECRUITMENT OF CHILDREN FOR RESEARCH 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…
Epidemiologist Says Most Published Research Findings Are False – Psychiatrist Addresses Credibility Crisis Sat, 8 Oct 2005 An article published in PLoS Medical (an Open Access Peer Reviewed Medical Journal) by an epidemiologist who holds academic positions on both sides of the Atlantic–at the University of Ioannina (Greece) and Tufts…
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…
Frontline: Dangerous Prescription Fri, 14 Nov 2003 Frontline, of Public Broadcasting System aired an investigative news report on Thursday that focused on the FDA’s systemic failure to protect the public from hazardous drugs. FDA had approved at least 12 dangerous prescription drugs–the “dirty dozen”–that killed people before the FDA ordered…
Research Protection: SCIENCE / Fed Paper Mon, 28 Oct 2002 SCIENCE magazine (below) reported about “the bumpy road” of Dr. Greg Koski’s tenure as director of the federal Office of Human Research Protections (OHRP), and how his resignation is being perceived by some. An article in The FEDERAL PAPER focused…
Antidepressants Pregnancy Risk: Babies Adversely Affected Sat, 5 Feb 2005 Thanks to the BBC 3-part Panorama series (beginning October 2002), it is no longer a secret that coming off SSRI antidepressants can cause serious symptoms of withdrawal in some users. Christopher Pittman is on trial for killing his grandparents while…
Protecting People with Mental Disabilities and Impairments against Biomedical Research Abuse[*] By John H. Noble, Jr., Ph.D, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC, USA Vera Hassner Sharav, MLS, Alliance for Human Research Protection, New York, USA People with mental disabilities and impairments historically have been targeted by biomedical researchers…
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,…
Time for a Drug Test Registry_Marcia Angell_Why NIH is Not Up to the Task Fri, 13 Aug 2004 The uncovering of concealed, unpublished evidence showing that children suffered harm in antidepressant drug trials, has led to a rude public awakening. Selective reporting of clinical trial data has become “standard practice”…
