Medicare Will cover New Treatments But Patients Will be Required to Enroll in Clinical Trials Fri, 5 Nov 2004 Dr. Mark McClellan, Director of Medicare, estimates that of Medicare’s $320 billion budget, “a third of all medical expenditures are for unnecessary or ill-advised treatments.” Medicare’s chief medical officer, Dr. Sean…
Psychiatry’s Claims Re: Brain Imaging Have Far Outpaced Science – NYT Tue, 18 Oct 2005 A front page report in The New York Times Science section pulls the rug out from yet another of psychiatry’s myths. Benedict Carey reports: “Not long ago, scientists predicted that these images, produced by sophisticated…
Safety of American Drugs Questioned – Assoc Press Thu, 2 Dec 2004 In his CNN news program last evening, Lou Dobbs said the question is no longer whether something is wrong with the FDA’s performance in protecting the public from unsafe drugs–but whether the FDA can even be salvaged? The…
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…
Is This Permissible Medical Research? Fri, 27 Sep 2002 A federally funded experiment for the treatment of acute respiratory distress (ARDS) conducted at 12 major research centers, 1996-1999, has come under sharp criticism. The ARDS researchers sought to find a method for reducing the death rate among acutely ill patients…
Antidepressant drugs Used as Placebos! Fri, 10 Oct 2003 Increased use of antidepressant drugs during the 1990s, has increased national spending on antidepressant drugs by a walloping 600%! Dr. Jay Pomerantz of Harvard writes, “inappropriate use of antidepressant drugs may lead to a deterioration of clinical course with no clear…
Bush’s plan to screen for mental health meets opposition in Illinois – British Med J Fri, 5 Nov 2004 The New Freedom Commission recommendation calling for government screening the entire nation for mental illness, beginning with America’s 52 million children, is backfiring. The recommendation runs contrary to freely made health…
Former FDA Commissioner says FDA lost public trust Mon, 17 Oct 2005 The FDA’s failure to ensure drugs are properly tested in trials designed to detect serious adverse effects, and the agency’s failure to require follow-up post-marketing studies to be reasonably secure in the knowledge that no lethal drugs are unleashed on the public has…
TONIGHT ABC “PRIMETIME LIVE” INVESTIGATION reveals evidence that drug makers suppressed antidepressant info Thu, 9 Dec 2004 At least 100 children have committed suicide while on an SSRI antidepressant, hundreds more have attempted suicide. Tonight at 10:00 PM, ABC Prime Time Live will reveal internal company documents that show how…
Opinion column: Antidepressants Carry Risk– Dr. Joseph Glenmullen Sat, 5 Mar 2005 A hard corps of influential mental health professionals continue to mislead the public‹parents in particular–about the very real and proven risks of antidepressant drugs. In some people‹especially youngsters‹antidepressants have triggered violent and suicidal behavior. Because of the compelling…
Columbia Journalism Review–The Complicity of the Media in Drug Marketing Wed, 27 Jul 2005 An excellent article in the Columbia Journalism Review examines pharmaceutical industry hype and the media’s role in helping that industry create false impressions about the safety and benefits of newly marketed drugs: “stories trumpeting new drugs…
Infomail 2005 News Stories on Human Research Protection and Commentary by Vera Hassner Sharav Subscribe to the AHRP infomail list Dec 16: Drugs, Devices & Doctors – NYT Paul Krugman Dec 11: Scientific Fraud & Corruption on Both sides of Atlantic: Merck / Proctor & Gamble Dec 11: Gov Accountability…
