2005: “Cheaper than Chimpanzees” by Vera Sharav

On behalf of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, or AHRP, I want to thank the members of the Committee, for this opportunity to share with you our understanding of the complex problems presented by medical research involving vulnerable populations, such as prisoners and children. We appreciate your difficult job, and recognize that you will need to exercise courage in your assigned mission, which is to protect prisoners from research abuse and exploitation.

“Courage,” in this context, means the courage to acknowledge uncomfortable facts about current practice and to speak truth to power,

Tom Cruise re-ignited the debate about psychiatry–its false claims & drug hazards – Florida Medicaid restricts

Tom Cruise re-ignited the debate about psychiatry–its false claims & drug hazards – Florida Medicaid restricts Fri, 01 Jul 2005 Tom Cruise “kicked off a debate over a subject that a lot of people don’t feel comfortable discussing: whether Americans are too quick to turn to prescription drugs and whether…

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Mental Health Tests For Kids Spark Debate – Chicago Tribune

Mental Health Tests For Kids Spark Debate – Chicago Tribune Sun, 5 Jun 2005 The Chicago Tribune has woken to the major debate which is underway about a government-sponsored initiative to increase profits for the psychotropic drug industry and its beneficiaries in the mental health provider industry: “The furor started…

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America’s Overmedicated Children – Vera Sherav

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…

America’s Overmedicated Children, Presentation by Vera Sharav, 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 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.

Statement of the AHRP Opposing the SACHRP Children’s Committee Recommendations

THE ALLIANCE FOR HUMAN RESEARCH PROTECTION (AHRP) www.ahrp.org Proposed Changes to Subpart D Regulations Increase Risks to Children in Non-Therapeutic Research Statement of the AHRP Opposing the SACHRP Children’s Committee Recommendations April 18, 2005 The Alliance for Human Research Protection (AHRP) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the question “What…

Statement of the AHRP Opposing the SACHRP Children’s Committee Recommendations

The Alliance for Human Research Protection (AHRP) welcomes the opportunity to respond to the question “What is the Best Way to Protect Children?”

Our recommendation – which is backed up by evidence that children have suffered harm in medical research – is to significantly limit the discretion of IRBs to approve greater than minimal risk research without direct benefit for the child-subjects under 46.406.

We recommend staying the course in requiring that any such proposed experiment undergo a transparent open evaluation with ample opportunity for public oversight and comment – as required under the provisions of 46.407.

NY Times Public Advocate: Extra! Extra! Read Not Quite Everything About It!

NY Times Public Advocate: Extra! Extra! Read Not Quite Everything About It! Sun, 10 Apr 2005 The New York Times Public Editor pointed the finger at the Times for its unprofessional journalistic lapses–such as prematurely publishing scoops planted by one of the parties to a dispute. The issue involved complaints…

Contracts Keep Drug Research Findings Concealed – NY Times

Contracts Keep Drug Research Findings Concealed – NY Times Mon, 29 Nov 2004 I. A front page article in the New York Times focuses on academia’s role (culpability) in keeping mum about the unpublished antidepressant clinical trial results. The unnamed focus of the article is the industry-supported American College of…

Texas Foster Care Investigation – Children as young as 3 are drugged with antipsychotics

Texas Foster Care Investigation – Children as young as 3 are drugged with antipsychotics Sat, 13 Nov 2004 The Dallas Morning News reports that Texas comptroller, Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who hade conducted an investigation of the foster care system, concluded that up to $4 million a year might be wasted…

FDA’s Waiting Game Exposes Children to Preventable Risks – 9/04 AHRP Comments to FDA

FDA’s Waiting Game Exposes Children to Preventable Risks Comments by Vera Hassner Sharav President The Alliance for Human Research Protection Submitted to FDA Advisory Committee Psychopharmacological Drugs Advisory Committee and Pediatric Subcommittee Drugs Advisory Committee September 13-14, 2004 Meeting RE: Suicidality Associated with Antidepressant Drug Treatment The Alliance for Human…