"32% of the advertisements [in peer reviewed journals] misled readers regarding efficacy, 40% did not provide balanced descriptions of the side effects, and 44% could lead to improper prescribing if the physician did not use other sources of information regarding the drug."
"Now they are terrified that their crimes of commission and omission could reap them the same whirlwind harvest of accountability."
We are, however, very distressed at what appears to us to be a significant discrepancy between your statements and the reality of SAMHSA’s role in implementing the NFC report recommendations, as well as other discrepancies between your statements and SAMHSA’s actions.
In this era of commercially-driven medical research—whether conducted by industry or academia—it behooves journal editors—no matter how prestigious the authors submitting articles for publication—to at least follow Ronald Reagan’s dictum, “trust but verify.”
”SO WHY,” he asks, “DID American doctors prescribe $7 billion worth of Vioxx after Merck and the Food and Drug Administration knew all this?”
Gov Accountability Project Creates “FactSquad” on Rx Drugs December 11, 2005 In the wake of the credibility crisis public trust in the safety of FDA-approved prescription drugs is eroded. The Government Accounability Project (GAP) has established a “Fact Squad” to challenge poor performance; in particular, FDA’s failure to protect the…
"Serotonin and depression: A disconnect between the advertisements and the scientific literature."
"Some 19 million people in the U.S. suffer from depression in any given year. For many, SSRIs help little, if at all. To do better, we have to get the science right." Sharon Begley, Wall Street Journal
The Columbia lecture was originally scheduled as a debate between David Healy, MD and James Coyne, PhD. The debate did not take place, and Dr. Coyne subsequently lectured in Rutgers the following week. The lecture covered the main points Dr. Coyne makes in the e-mail below. Dr. Healy’s response follows….
John H. Noble, Jr., Ph.D. John H. Noble, Jr., Ph.D., retired in August, 2005, from his position as Endowed Professor for Social Justice, The Catholic University of America. He has been Professor Emeritus since 1993 at the State University of New York at Buffalo, where he held joint appointments in…
AMERICA’S OVERMEDICATED CHILDREN By Vera Sharav YOUTH and MEDICINES in June 1-3, 2005 KILEN: Consumers Institute for Medicines and Health SWEDEN “Forgotten Children” is an investigative report by Carole Keeton Strayhorn,[1] the Texas Comptroller (2004) who uncovered evidence that 60% of children in the Texas foster care system are being…
“Forgotten Children” is an investigative report by Carole Keeton Strayhorn,[1] the Texas Comptroller (2004) who uncovered evidence that 60% of children in the Texas foster care system are being drugged with powerful psychotropic drugs, most of which have not been tested in or approved for use by children. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) acknowledges that many of these drugs have serious adverse side effects, both physical and psychological. The Comptroller said she was alarmed that in her review of a single month (November 2003), two powerful antipsychotic drugs — Risperdal and Zyprexa — made up half of the drugs prescribed to foster children in Texas. These two drugs have been approved only for adults for the treatment of psychosis – primarily schizophrenia – yet, she found that children as young as four, were receiving these powerful, mind-altering drugs.
Vioxx Fallout: Merck Officials Intervened–NYT / FDA Officials Intervened–Mother Jones Mon, 25 Apr 2005 Mother Jones and The New York Times focus on the Vioxx fall out–a case that encapsulates the corrupt practices in drug research. Merck and FDA officials intervened to conceal the lethal cardiac effect of Vioxx. Mother…
