Integrity of Medical Regulators Wed, 8 Jun 2005 The UK MHRA (equivalent of US FDA) has been caught in flat out public deception. The MHRA–which is entirely funded by the pharmaceutical industry–had claimed that two thirds of professional organizations it consulted favored selling a heart medication (Zocor Heart-Pro) without a…
Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry Volume 7, Number 2, Summer 2005 pp. 111-124 Screening for Mental Illness: The Merger of Eugenics and the Drug Industry Vera Hassner Sharav, MLS New York, NY The implementation by the President’s New Freedom Commission (NFC) to screen the entire United States population – children…
Merck / Johnson & Johnson/ Lilly-Zyprexa: $690 Million settlement / a Flowering of Diabetes Drugs Fri, 10 Jun 2005 A cluster of news reports about three pillars of the pharmaceutical industry– Merck, Eli Lilly, and Johnson & Johnson–leave no doubt that this industry has shown its disregard for the welfare…
Three Questionable FDA policies: drug factory inspection rules/ clinical trials/ Paxil ads Thu, 22 Aug 2002 Three news items highlight questionable FDA policies that are in conflict with consumer health interests. 1) Poor quality control standards in American drug and vaccine manufacturing plants is a disgrace. The Associated Press reports…
Janssen Pharma Admits Hiding Risperdal Drug Risks / TMAP & Illinois Mental Health Screening Plan Sat, 24 Jul 2004 The Miami Herald reports (below) that in a letter to doctors, Janssen Pharmacia, manufacturer of the highly promoted drug, Risperdal (risperidone), admitted “misleading doctors and other healthcare providers about the safety…
Ex-NIH Director Lifted conflict of interest rules, Now favors limits on Drug-Company Ties – LAT Sun, 14 Mar 2004 Former Director of the National Institutes of Health, Harold Varmus, MD, appeared before a blue ribbon panel convened by his former agency, ostensibly to shed light on conflict of interest at…
40 Psychiatrists Lobby FDA to Legitimize Drug Restraints for Aggression Mon, 21 Mar 2005 At first glance, a Newsday article–Hot Under the Collar?– might appear as a hilarious parody of bio-psychiatry. It is not. “Recently, 40 scientists met with two FDA officials to make a case for testing treatments specifically…
Infomail 2005 News Stories on Human Research Protection and Commentary by Vera Hassner Sharav Subscribe to the AHRP infomail list Dec 16: Drugs, Devices & Doctors – NYT Paul Krugman Dec 11: Scientific Fraud & Corruption on Both sides of Atlantic: Merck / Proctor & Gamble Dec 11: Gov Accountability…
Merck Baby Vaccines Not Pure – LAT/ FDA Advisory-Crestor / Zyprexa Lawsuit charges Lilly concealed Diabetes risk Fri, 11 Mar 2005 The FDA’s failure to carry out its watchdog responsibility to protect the public from unsafe drugs, has encouraged the pharmaceutical industry to conceal the risks and deceive the public….
July 16, 2002 Genetic Testing Raises Tough Ethical Questions FYI An Op Ed article in The New York Times, by Susan Love, MD, sheds light on the faulty assumptions that led to the discovery that hormone replacement therapy did not deliver on its promises. “There is a tendency, driven by…
US Preventive Services Task Force: No evidence that screening for suicide reduces suicide Fri, 21 May 2004 The U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) issued its findings and recommendation against screening for suicide. The USPSTF findings corroborate those of the Canadian PSTF. “USPSTF found no evidence that screening for suicide…
Take Action: Just Say No to Stigmatizing Screening and Unsafe Drugs Tue, 26 Oct 2004 FYI /ACTION! AHRP believes that America’s school children should not be screened and labeled without a guarantee of the proven accuracy of the screening tool, and the proven safety and therapeutic value of the treatment…
