Infomail Archive 2004

Infomail 2004 News Stories on Human Research Protection and Commentary by Vera Hassner Sharav Dec 31: FDA to review “missing” drug company documents Dec 30: Family of Woman Killed by AIDS Drug Test Sues Doctors, Manufacturer Dec 30: Doctors, Too, Ask: Is This Drug Right? Dec 29: Bill would shield…

Science Refutes Claims of Drug Benefit: Antipsychotics Found Harmful_NEJM

"The drugs most commonly used to soothe agitation and aggression in people with Alzheimer’s disease are no more effective than placebos for most patients, and put them at risk of serious side effects, including confusion, sleepiness and Parkinson’s disease-like symptoms, researchers are reporting
today."

FDA Suspends ADHD Drug Safety Study-Approves Risperdal for Autistic Children Without Public Hearing

Two actions by the FDA last week demonstrate where the agency’s priority lies—and that priority is NOT to protect public safety, NOT to protect children’s safety. FDA’s priority—as demonstrated by its actions—is approval of new drugs or approval for expanded even dubious uses of patented drugs.

2 letters Re: Dr. Nemeroff Failure to Disclose Conflicts of Interest_WSJ

Success in academic psychiatry is not measured in the improvement of patients' mental health, but rather in quantifiable commercial tender.How many grants one brings to the university, how many publications one churns out each year, and how many corporate and professional advisory boards one serves on–and how much money one…

Psychiatry’s Most Powerful Association Feeling the Heat_SCIENCE

Psychiatry’s most powerful and influential key opinion leaders who belong to the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ACNP) have been caught off guard. The ACNP leadership is scrambling  to overcome the scorn it has received following public disclosure about multiple breaches of ethics and professional standards of conduct. The College and…