Zolft pediatric study in JAMA challenged by peers – JAMA letters Fri, 9 Jan 2004 At the time that two manufacturers publicly acknowledged that their antidepressant drugs (Paxil / Seroxat and Effexor) were unsafe, and ineffective for children, the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) published a clinical trial…
Antidepressant Use in Children Soars Despite Efficacy Doubts – Washington Post Mon, 19 Apr 2004 A front page article by Shankar Vedantam in The Washington Post examines the soaring increase in the antidepressant drug prescriptions for children, noting: “The explosion in antidepressant use occurred even though the vast majority of…
A Disease for Every Pill – FDA Hearing Drug Advertising Wed, 5 Oct 2005 The FDA has called for a public hearing to address direct to consumer drug advertising. Hearing Date: November 1 and 2, 2005 Hearing Name: Direct-To-Consumer Promotion Location: National Transportation Safety Board Boardroom and Conference Center 429…
Junk Science Hits Front Page Headlines: Most Americans Will Be Mentally Ill at Some Point – NIMH / Harvard Study Says Tue, 7 Jun 2005 Americans may be astonished to learn that $20 million in taxpayers’ money was spent on a study whose unacknowledged purpose is to increase the use…
Petition FDA to Investigate if SSRI Induced School Shootings Fri, 25 Mar 2005 The Minnesota shooting rampage by 16-year old Jeff Weise, prompted the parent organization, Ablechild.org, to petition the FDA to conduct “a full investigation into the possible SSRI induced school shootings.” “It took 15 years for the FDA…
Use of combinations of antipsychotics–Harms Patients: McLean & Leipzig Wed, 21 Sep 2005 Two additional studies provide additional evidence (coffin nails) demonstrating how psychiatry’s marriage of convenience gave birth to rotten fruit: specifically, under the influence of pharmaceutical companies, psychiatry plunged irresponsibly into practicing polypsychoparmacology. The evidence from these studies…
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…
Linguistic Tinkering with Regulatory Terminology Increases Risk of Harm for Children: "minimal risk" "minor increment of minimal risk" and "disorder or condition" January 28, 2001 A cornerstone of the Declaration of Helsinki (adopted by the World Medical Association in 1964, and reaffirmed on Oct. 2000) is the distinction between research…
FDA approves Paxil for Premenstrual cramps Wed, 3 Sep 2003 On September 2, the FDA approved Paxil (Seroxat) for yet another newly invented “condition.” Inasmuch as those most likely to complain about premenstrual discomfort which has been labeled, premenstrual dysphoric disorder (PMDD)–are likely to be pubescent girls, FDA’s approval is…
Op Ed: Psychiatry on the Ropes–WP / Evidence-based Psychiatry– Multi-Discipline Conference_ NYC Mon, 4 Oct 2004 An Op Ed article in The Washington Post by Shannon Brownlee (below) nails the elite procurers of psychotropic drugs who have long denied the ominous signals of drug-induced harm: “You’d think the psychiatric research…
Schizophrenia drugs increase diabetes risk Fri, 29 Aug 2003 A large scale study by the Veterans Administration corroborates a body of evidence demonstrating that the much touted “improved” newer drugs for the treatment of schizophrenia–Zyprexa, Risperdal, Seroquesl– are precipitating the onset of diabetes at alarming rates– especially among younger patients….
Antidepressant Makers Withhold Data on Children – Washington Post Thu, 29 Jan 2004 A front page article in The Washington Post addresses the key issue undermining public health and safety. Drug companies conceal unfavorable clinical trial findings: the tests failed to demonstrate that antidepressants are either safe or beneficial for…
