The ethics of this radical drug experiment is being challenged by Dr. Jerald Block, a forthright psychiatrist and experienced system's analyst. His critical appraisal, published in the Bioethics Forum, Hastings Center Report.
The Whistleblower: Confessions of a Healthcare Hitman by Dr. Peter Rost, published by Soft Skull Press.
The New York Times reports: "For big drug companies, the new Medicare prescription benefit is proving to be a financial windfall larger than even the most optimistic Wall Street analysts had predicted."
Off-label prescribing of drugs for unapproved uses puts consumers at high risk of harm–but it is the single most lucrative marketing strategy.
Medical researchers who commit fraud and research misconduct are caught only when a person of conscience steps up to the plate and blows the whistle. There are no systemic, independent checks and balances to prevent research fraud or abuse of patients.
Reply to the American College of Neuropharmacology’s Report on SSRI and Suicidal Behavior in Children Jonathan Leo, Ph.D. Introduction The American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) recently released an Executive Summary from its Task Force on SSRIs and Suicidal Behavior. The task force concluded that "taking Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors (SSRIs)…
July 20, 2002 16-Year-Old Boy Gets Prozac in Mail FYI The Associated Press reports: that a 16-Year-Old Boy who was never treated for depression received a month’s supply of Prozac in mail. “The Florida Attorney General has already issued subpoenas to Eli Lilly, Walgreen and S. K.’s doctors to determine…
FDA Forced Wyeth to REMOVE Suicide Warning from Effexor Label Wed, 8 Sep 2004 The Wall Street Journal reports that FDA officials forced Wyeth to remove the label warning stating: “In pediatric clinical trials, there were increased reports of hostility and, especially in Major Depressive Disorder, suicide-related adverse events such…
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…
FDA Approves Lilly’s Cymbalta for Depression Despite Risk of Suicide Wed, 4 Aug 2004 In a display of arrogance and defiance–in the midst of federal investigations into the marketing of antidepressants–the FDA has approved Eli Lilly’s antidepression drug, Cymbalta (duloxetine). Lilly’s press release announced: “Cymbalta, a balanced and potent reuptake…
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,…
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…
