Boston Scientific Sold Defective Stints Amid Alarming Data / 22% Medical Device Follow-up Not Done – Boston Globe Mon, 27 Dec 2004 Two reports in The Boston Globe raise concern defective medical devices – including cardiac stents, pacemakers and other medical devices–are proliferating the marketplace before their safety has been…
Loss of Trust: Big Drug Makers See Sales Decline With Their Image – NYT Mon, 14 Nov 2005 The lead front page article in today’s New York Times reports: “A poll last month showed that only 9 percent of Americans believed drug companies were generally honest, down from 14 percent…
Medical Costs: “It’s a broken system. And at some point, it will fall apart" – Conflicts of Interest – NYT Thu, 22 Sep 2005 Medical device manufacturers have taken a leaf from pharmaceutical companies–they too bribe doctors to use their products. The New York Times repors about one such case…
FDA Had Report of Heart Device failures Mon, 12 Sep 2005 A series of irresponsible national policies put corporate interests above public safety undermining the health and lives of American citizens. The world witnessed the consequences of those irresponsible policies: namely, a colossal break down in the nation’s homeland security…
Abbott Seeks FDA approval for cancer drug despite failed trials – WSJ Mon, 12 Sep 2005 Abbott Laboratories is asking the FDA to approve a cancer drug even though it failed in clinical trials to demonstrate a benefit greater than placebo–which is a minimal FDA requirement. The Wall Street Journal…
Johnson & Johnson stung by its own Advisory Committee–Natrecor should be strictly limited Fri, 12 Aug 2005 Kudos go to Dr. Eugene Braunwald and the 10 members of the advisory committee that he heads. Contrary to Johnson & Johnson expectations, the committee recommended extensive warnings to physicians against prescribing Natrecor…
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/business/10drug.html?ei=5094&en=5475b3c17e50e692&hp =&ex=1118462400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print THE NEW YORK TIMES June 10, 2005, front page Lucrative Drug, Danger Signals and the F.D.A. By GARDINER HARRIS and ERIC KOLI Dozens had died and more than 100 patients had suffered serious heart problems by March 1998 after taking Propulsid, a popular medicine for heartburn. Infants, given…
TeenScreen: the Law Suits Begin Mon, 13 Jun 2005 Newsworthy developments about the duo-drug promotion scam‹TeenScreen & TMAP: A. The first legal challenge against TeenScreen, the mental health screening scheme that is invading the public school system across the nation, declaring otherwise normal children to be mentally ill, has been…
The Power of $4 bill Drug Ads: Doctors Respond with Diagnosis & Prescription – WashPost Thu, 28 Apr 2005 What does $4 billion dollars in drug advertising buy? The Washington Post reports that a University of Washington study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association confirms the insidious…
Zyprexa – Risperdal – Abilify – Clozari Kill Elderly Tue, 12 Apr 2005 The long-denied, hidden truth about the deadly risks of antipsychotic drugs is about to be disclosed to the public. The New York Times reports that the FDA will now require Black Box warnings about the increased risk…
Corporate Welfare Runs Amok – NYT Editorial Sun, 30 Jan 2005 The administration has gone another step toward doing away with corporate taxes – by offering a “tax holiday” to America’s richest multinationals. The 35% corporate tax rate is being winnowed down to the “puny rate” of 5.25% for corporations…
Conflict of Interest: Profits vs Safety Congressional Investigations US Senators Pharmaceutical industry holdings, 2004: http://www.consumerwatchdog.org/resources/SenPharma.pdf Oct 12: How Did the Vioxx Debacle Happen? USA Today / Lancet Oct 4: Op Ed: Psychiatry on the Ropes–WP / Evidence-based Psychiatry Oct 3: BBC PANORAMA TONIGHT – Taken on Trust – 13 years-Medical…
