How Pharma Took Over Medicine: Research and Practice – BMJ / NYT

How Pharma Took Over Medicine: Research and Practice – BMJ / NYT Fri, 3 Jan 2003 In today’s New York Times Dr. Erin Marcus writes: “Medicines aren’t like shampoo or perfume.” But they’re being hawked on TV as if they were just another ‘enhancer’–when in fact, they come with glossed…

Natrecor found to worsen kidney function, hasten death – NYT

Natrecor found to worsen kidney function, hasten death – NYT Tue, 17 May 2005 Natrecor, a drug approved by the FDA for treating patients with heart failure, is being widely prescribed off label for unapproved uses. The drug is prescribed for so-called “tune-ups” in outpatient clinics – although that use…

Pfizer Statements RE: Bextra, Celebrex, Neurontin Shown to be Lies

Pfizer Statements RE: Bextra, Celebrex, Neurontin Shown to be Lies Fri, 08 Apr 2005 The New York Times reports that “as recently as Tuesday [Pfizer] assured Wall Street that sales of Celebrex and Bextra would soon rebound. It was the latest in a string of announcements by the company regarding…

Dubious Drug Therapy – Keith Koeller / Bread and Shelter, Yes. Psychiatrists, No – Sally Satel

Dubious Drug Therapy – Keith Koeller / Bread and Shelter, Yes. Psychiatrists, No – Sally Satel Wed, 30 Mar 2005 Two OpEd columns deserve special attention because they provide insight and evidence of the harm done by current psychiatric / psychological practices. Sally Satel, MD is a psychiatrist and resident…

Public Servant or Private Marketer? NIH Seeks Inquiry of Alzheimer’s researcher conflicts of interest

NIH: Public Servant or Private Marketer? NIH Seeks Outside Inquiry of Alzheimer’s researcher conflicts of interest – LAT Mon, 31 Jan 2005 A year after the Los Angeles Times published its first an in-depth investigative report documenting in detail evidence of major conflicts of interest by top scientists at the…

Cash Interests Taint Drug Advice – NATURE / Death a Risk of Antipsychotics – AP

Cash Interests Taint Drug Advice – NATURE / Death a Risk of Antipsychotics – AP Sun, 23 Oct 2005 An investigation by the journal, NATURE (the largest of its kind) reveals that not only do conflicts of interest taint the conduct and outcome of clinical trials, the authors who formulate…

Article

The Evidence base: rock of certainty or shifting sands? – BMJ Wed, 5 May 2004 Dr. John Dewhurst, has written an extraordinary article from his first-hand experience as a pharmaceutical company physician who discovered the disparity that exists between the claimed and actual evidence of drug effectiveness–and the reality-based severe,…

Antidepressant Use in Children Soars Despite Efficacy Doubts – Washington Post

Antidepressant Use in Children Soars Despite Efficacy Doubts – Washington Post Mon, 19 Apr 2004 A front page article by Shankar Vedantam in The Washington Post examines the soaring increase in the antidepressant drug prescriptions for children, noting: “The explosion in antidepressant use occurred even though the vast majority of…

Worldwide Drug Industry Ailing – PhaRMA Giants Reeling Blockbuster Drugs Found Hazardous

Worldwide Drug Industry Ailing – PhaRMA Giants Reeling Blockbuster Drugs Found Hazardous Sat, 18 Dec 2004 Daily headlines provide confirmatory evidence supporting what critics of the drug industry have been say:ing for years. First, as The New York Times notes in one of its 4 articles about the latest “unexpected”…

Antipsychotic Drug Use Doubled since 1996 in Tennessee Children – Why?

Antipsychotic Drug Use Doubled since 1996 in Tennessee Children – Why? Thu, 2 Sep 2004 A Vanderbilt University study found that the use of antipsychotic drugs has doubled among poor children in Tennessee. “The increase, seen largely among children diagnosed with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), conduct disorder and affective disorders such…