Ritalin: Chromosome Abnormalities Occured in All 12 Children / High school prescription drug abuse Fri, 11 Mar 2005 Parents and public health policy makers have cause for concern about the finding of a study conducted at the University of Texas, MD Anderson Cancer Center. WebMD reports that all 12 children…
NIH Under Fire: Longtime Favorite of Congress – Wash Post / WSJ Sun, 27 Jun 2004 Under fire from Congress with evidence of NIH staff engaging in secret outside contracts and consultancies, NIH Director, Dr. Elias Zerhouni, turned a corner. He acknowledged the problem at a hearing (June 22) of…
Alliance for Human Research Protection in the Press Feb 17, 2005: FDA Critics Slam Plan for Safety Reform – Nature “This is smoke and mirrors and musical chairs,” says Vera Sharav, president of the New York-based Alliance for Human Research Protection. “They will be using the very same officials that…
FDA Official Admits ‘Lapses’ on Vioxx – FDA Didn’t Heed Warnings on Dangers of MS Drug Wed, 2 Mar 2005 As the Senate committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions prepares for the second day hearing about FDA’s performance, one hopes that the committee will follow up Tuesday’s hearing with…
Ex-NIH Director Lifted conflict of interest rules, Now favors limits on Drug-Company Ties – LAT Sun, 14 Mar 2004 Former Director of the National Institutes of Health, Harold Varmus, MD, appeared before a blue ribbon panel convened by his former agency, ostensibly to shed light on conflict of interest at…
Analysis of S. 1873 – The Biodefense and Pandemic Vaccine and Drug Development Act of 2005 Karen R. Effrem, MD Alliance for Human Research Protection Board of Directors www.ahrp.org INTRODUCTION: This bill seriously endangers, if not completely undermines, the democratic process and the rule of law. It will absolutely destroy…
FDA Commissioner Nominee told Senate He’s Open to Independent Safety Unit / Biogen issues Avonex Warning Fri, 18 Mar 2005 It would be impossible to gain insight into Lester Crawford’s confirmation hearings by the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions committee if one read only one news report. The Los…
NIH ethics review Thu, 15 Jan 2004 There is nothing quite like good investigative journalism to shake public officials from their complacency. An investigative report by David Willman in The Los Angeles Times on Dect 7, 2003, has sent NIH director, Dr. Elias Zirhouni, scrambling to explain why NIH has…
Investigative Press Reports Aug. 7, 2002: Los Angeles Times. UC Seeks to Ease Curbs on Patient Research, by Charles Ornstein and Rebecca Trounson http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-me-uc7aug07.story?coll=la%2Dhealth%2Dmedicine SPECIAL REPORT : Experiments on Humans, San Francisco Chronicle August 4, 2002: Business of clinical trials soars, but risks unknown Medical studies give new hope to…
FDA Official Calls Newsletter Unethical – WP / Senate Considers Safety Reform at FDA – LAT Fri, 4 Mar 2005 The Washington Post reports about yet another instance of a high FDA official who misspoke. Dr. Sandra Kweder, Deputy Director of FDA’s Office of New Drugs, sent a letter, “written…
Critics of NIH Studies Prompt Senate Hearing – WashPost Mon, 19 Jan 2004 Accountability is a controversial concept for officials at the National Institutes of Health (NIH). Dr. Elias Zirhouni, director of NIH, is scrambling to explain recent revelations of impropriety: First, the agency approved taxpayer money for highly questionable…
Two actions by the FDA last week demonstrate where the agency’s priority lies—and that priority is NOT to protect public safety, NOT to protect children’s safety. FDA’s priority—as demonstrated by its actions—is approval of new drugs or approval for expanded even dubious uses of patented drugs.
