The Baltimore Sun reports (below) that in a paper scheduled for publication in the journal Epidemiology and Infection, a Harvard University-led team proposes that a vitamin D deficiency caused by inadequate winter sun exposure may predispose people to infection.
"Why are scientists coy about publishing negative data?
FDA's slip-shod approval of defective, harmful drugs, accompanied by rubber stampped endorsements by compromised FDA advisory committees may be reaching a boiling point.
Dr. E. Jane Costello, a professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Duke University, acknowledges: “The system of diagnosis is still 200 to 300 years behind other branches of medicine.” Psychiatry also fails to be guided by an evidence-based positive benefit / risk assessment of its prescribed treatments.
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.
Pfizer Nears Drug Settlement Sun, 16 Mar 2003 A 7-year lawsuit filed by Dr. David Franklin, the former Harvard fellow turned whistle blower, may be reaching a resolution. The suit accuses Warner Lambert (now Pfizer) of illegally promoting the epilepsy drug, Neurontin, for conditions not approved or tested. His lawsuit…
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…
Philadelphia Daily News Pharma Influence: Penn Psychiatrist Files Whistleblower Lawsuit – Investigtion Confirms Medicare Chief Lied to Congress Wed, 7 Jul 2004 “Drug companies not only write checks to hospitals, they write checks to politicians…They write checks to both sides of the aisle.” Two separate news reports provide a glimpse…
At FDA, Changes In Name Only–Agency Puts Business interests Above Safety Fri, 30 Sep 2005 The sudden resignation of FDA Commissioner, Lester Crawford, after just two months in office, has prompted a bipartisan Senate investigation and requests both by the Senate committee HELP and by congressman Maurice Hinchey (NY) and…
Major Health Groups Cite Antipsychotic Dangers Psychotropic drugs may be bad for your heart/ Clozaril and Zyprexa Wed, 23 Mar 2005 Obesity and diabetes are the fastest growing health hazard due to bad nutrition and a sedentary life style. However, diabetes is also caused by a class of widely prescribed…
Jeffrey Drazen editor NEJM Turns Activist on Drug Trials Thu, 26 May 2005 Journal editors, one by one are trying to retrieve the integrity of their publications, at last recognizing that the pharamaceutical industry is a corrupting factor in medical research and the information disseminated about medicine. Jeffrey Drazen who…
FDA Requires Bar Codes on Drugs-IG resigns Date: Fri, 14 Mar 2003 On a positive note, the FDA has finally come up with a proposal to cut medical errors in hospitals. Drug manufacturers will be required to put drug bar codes on every prescription drug to protect patients from fatal…
