Anthrax shots may be required in military – Assoc Press Thu, 1 Dec 2005 After a US District Judge suspended the forced anthrax vaccine program in the military, the Bush Administration is attempting to reinstate mandatory anthrax vaccine inoculations for military personnel. The less evidence, it seems, that there is to demonstrate…
The Crawford Resignation Mystery Sat, 24 Sep 2005 Merrill Goozner of Center for Science in the Public Interest provides insight into what may lie behind the sudden resignation of FDA Commissioner, Lester Crawford. Goozner surggests, “One possible clue to the administration’s thinking comes from the appointment of Andrew von Eschenbach,…
Suicide Rate Unchanged in 10 Years–JAMA / AMA Considers Stand Against Warning Labels on Antidepressants Thu, 9 Jun 2005 A major report in the Journal of the American Medical Association shatters all claims about the effectiveness of antidepressants as a treatment for the prevention of suicide. A comparison of the…
Glaxo Pricing Under DOJ investigation / GAO Report Says Medicaid Overpays for Drugs Wed, 9 Mar 2005 Reuters reports that GlaxoSmithKline is under investigation by the Department of Justice concerning Medicaid drug pricing. The skyrocketing cost of drugs is depleting Medicaid, the nation’s largest health insturance program paid for by…
DHHS Report: Contradicting itself on drug imports – OpEd Peter Rost Wed, 5 Jan 2005 Dr. Peter Rost, a Pfizer Vice-President of Marketing knows about the financial underpinnings of drug pricing. He has taken a consciencious public position (unsusual in that industry) because he believes the American public has a…
Is Tamiflu worth it? Thu, 27 Oct 2005 Many knowledgable experts in pharmacology have expressed dismay over the hysteria mounting for Tamiflu, a drug that has shown to be only marginally effective at best in reducing ther number of days one experinces flu symptoms. In elderly patients who are at…
Statin-Cholesterol Guidelines–Industry influenced? Wed, 14 Jul 2004 Scientific journal editors are scrambling about how to react to bad publicity emanating from public disclosure that the scientific reports they have published are likely to be biased because the authors’ had financial ties to the companies whose drugs / devices they report…
“The scariest thing is that nobody knows” risks of depression drugs for children Mon, 10 May 2004 Forest Laboratories, manufacturer of the antidepressant, Celexa / Lexapro, is the latest manufacturer to issue warnings (April 2004) about the possibility that “patients with major depressive disorder, both adult and pediatric, may experience…
Lilly duloxetine drug trial–19 Quit after a suicide – Philadelphia Inquirer Fri, 13 Feb 2004 19-year old Teri Johnson’s suicide occurred one week after an FDA advisory committee had urged the FDA to issue warnings about prescribing antidepressant drugs for children under 18 because of an increased risk in suicide….
Forbes: Face of The Year: David Graham Mon, 13 Dec 2004 Forbes magazine has named Dr. David Graham the Face of the Year’ for his “steadfast advocacy of drug safety and his willingness to blow the whistle on his bosses.” Dr. Graham took a courageous stand as a responsible…
NIH: Public Servant or Private Marketer? Wed, 22 Dec 2004 David Willman of the Los Angeles Times provides an important reminder that the FDA is not the only government healthcare agency to have betrayed the public trust and lost its credibility. While the FDA has lent its seal of approval…
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…
