FDA Smoke & Mirrors Musical Chairs Wed, 16 Feb 2005 Amidst widespread public criticism of the FDA’s role as facilitators in the marketing of lethal drugs that killed thousands of people, the Administration made several announcements incorporating terminology (such as: “we’re in an era of openness” “transparency”). But politically correct…
FDA Officials Tried to tone Down Report of 27,000 heart attacks on Vioxx – WSJ – WashPost Sun, 10 Oct 2004 The FDA attempted to block a senior medical officer from making his findings known about the lethal hazards of Vioxx: Senator Chuck Grassley stated: “Instead of acting as a…
For the Sake of Public Safety FDA & NIH Must Be Detatched from Drug Industry Tue, 21 Dec 2004 Daily front page reports about lethal drug effects leave no doubt that we are in the midst of a major health safety and credibility crisis, largely due to a drug development…
Paxil Protest at GSK US headquarters Sept. 26–Sept. 28 Sun, 18 Sep 2005 Families and victims who have suffered harm from SSRI antidepressants are heading for Philadelphia from the US and Canada for a “Paxil Protest.” Date: September 26 through Sept. 28. Place: GlaxoSmithKline US headquarters in Philadelphia The organizer of this event is…
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…
FDA Regulators Accused of Trying to Quash Testimony About Cardiac Risks of Painkillers – NYT Sat, 12 Feb 2005 A New York Times front page report announces that President Bush will veto any limits on the Medicare prescription drug giveaway. The administration is adamant about transfering $724 billion in taxpayer…
How Health Care in America Became Big Business–And Bad Medicine – OpEd NYT Zoloft NYT Ad Fails to Disclose Suicide risk Mon, 25 Oct 2004 An Op-Ed in Sunday’ New York Times by Time magazine editors, Donald Barlett and James Steele, is a MUST READ assessment of what ails America’s…
Hoffman LaRoche Rebuffed Call to Monitor Accutane Users – USA Today Tue, 7 Dec 2004 An investigative cover story in USA Today – Drugmaker Rebuffed Call to Monitor Users–affirms the indispensable role of litigation in bringing the facts about adverse drug effects to public knowledge. Lawsuits against Hoffman-La Roche, manufacturer…
Selling Sickness: Pharma Industry Turning Us All Into Patients Mon, 12 Sep 2005 Related Link: Selling Sickness Prologue Selling Sickness: How the World’s Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All Into Patients, by Ray Moynihan, an international health journalist, and Alan Cassels, a pharmaceutical policy researcher, is likely to become a…
Lies & Broken Promises_Drug firm Websites Fail to Disclose Test Data Sun, 9 Jan 2005 One year after PhRMA’s publicized proclamation of its “commitment to transparency” The Boston Globe reviewed pharmaceutical company websites searching for disclosure of clinical trial data. The Globe found that this voluntary approach failed miserably: “Last…
FDA Scientist Won’t Present New Pain Drug Data – FDA to Create Independent Drug Safety Board Tue, 15 Feb 2005 A culture of intimidation prevents FDA safety officers from disclosing important safety information about widely marketed drugs. Reuters reports: “Criticism of how the FDA monitors the after-market safety of drugs…
Vaccine Renaissance Outpaces Drug Industry Thu, 5 Dec 2002 For those who had doubts about a financial motivation behind the thrust to vaccinate the population, Reuters reports that the vaccine industry is “launching a new phase” of marketing. Vaccines are outpacing drugs in terms of sales growth–$6.5 billion annually. Spokespersons…
