Update: 19 year old volunteer suicided in Eili Lilly laboratory Wed, 11 Feb 2004 Traci Johnson, a native of Bensalem, Pa., committed suicide while a subject of an Eli Lilly drug experiment. She was one of about 25 “healthy volunteers” who had been physically and psychologically screened before the test…
Doctor calls President’s mental health Screening Initiative “Crazy” – UPI Thu, 23 Dec 2004 Dr. Jane Orient, the Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, has written a brilliant, clear-eyed blistering commentary–Are Your Children Crazy? America’s 52 million school children and 6 million staff are the first…
NY Times Does it Again – Drug Advertisers Get Front Page Coverage to Boost SSRI Market Wed, 2 Jun 2004 The New York Times saw fit to print a report about preliminary, unpublished findings of a study whose authors claim to have “found that Prozac helps teenagers overcome depression far…
Antidepressant Controversy: Media Conflicts of Interest – New York Times Thu, 25 Mar 2004 FDA’s advisory warning about antidepressant drugs received wide press coverage nationally. But few in the national media mentioned conflicts of interest as the obstacle to disclosure of evidence showing these drugs’ adverse effects. Among the few…
When Doctors Go to Class, Industry Often Foots the Bill – WSJ Fri, 6 Dec 2002 A front page article in The Wall Street Journal by Scott Hensley sheds further light on the corruption of medical ethics by focusing on a drug marketing ploy that is promoted as “continuing medical…
July 25, 2002 US Drug Usage Explodes_327% increase in Children FYI The National Center for Health Statistics analyzed data gathered by the National Ambulatory Medical Care Survey (office-based physicians’ data). The findings: Drug prescriptions increased 34% between 1985-1999; Psychiatrists had the largest increase in drug mentions, jumping to 178 drugs…
Psychiatry and Preschoolers Tue, 1 Jul 2003 There was a time that doctors followed the precautionary “do no harm” principle when prescribing drugs. But the practice of medicine has changed radically as physicians have increasingly become financially tied to the pharmaceutical industry. Among psychiatrists it is difficult to find one…
Medication switched for research purposes – patient nearly dies Tue, 11 Nov 2003 The Boston Globe reports that an investigation by a state oversight agency, “uncovered numerous ethical violations at the Solomon Carter Fuller Mental Health Center by Boston Medical Center physicians contracted to treat patients there.” Boston University Medical…
Anthrax Vaccine Lawsuit Filed by Military Servicemen against Pentagon Tue, 18 Mar 2003 Since 1998, nearly 500 active-duty service-members have refused the vaccine, and more than 100 have been court-martialed. Additionally, approximately 500-1000 pilots and flight crew members have quit, resigned or transferred from the Air National Guard or Reserves…
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…
FDA Alert: Effexor warnings added for neonatal adverse effects and suicidality risk Tue, 29 Jun 2004 On June 28, the FDA and Wyeth issued a new MedWatch drug Alert to healthcare professionals: “Neonates exposed to Effexor, other SNRIs (Serotonin and Norepinephrine Reuptake Inhibitors), or SSRIs (Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors), late…
FDA May Require Longer Studies Before Approving Psych Drugs – WSJ Tue, 18 Oct 2005 The Wall Street Journal reports that the FDA has sent out feelers to drug manufacturers to provide “longer-term efficacy data” for psychotropic drugs. This comes after a mountain of evidence shows placebo “works” just as…
