FDA Statement Regarding Anti-Depressant Paxil for Children Thu, 19 Jun 2003 A knowledgeable critic suggested that the FDA was pushed into action, but the action (Statement below) is weak. Evidence about the risks of antidepressants such as Paxil (Seroxat) have been linked to severe withdrawal symptoms which are a sign…
AHRP Speaks Out AHRP Press Briefing 9/14/04: Antidepressants & suicide-related risks for children Open Letter to NIMH re Prozac & Concealed Suicide Attempts Open Letter to Officials at NIMH AHRP Briefing 2/2/04: Scientists present suicide evidence Conflicts of Interest policy – New York Times Phase I Drug Trials Used Foster…
Randomized Controlled Trials: Evidence Biased Psychiatry By David Healy, MD MRCPsych Introduction A new drug gets introduced to the market. It has been approved after stringent scrutiny by the FDA, which requires ever more convincing evidence that it works and that its safe. The new treatment will always cost more…
Latest Huckstersm: Surgical Implants for Depression – NYT Sat, 21 May 2005 The FDA was supposed to protect the public from snake oil hucksterism. It is appalling to note how far the FDA’s approval process for drugs and devices has veered away from it’s 1962 standards of evidence-based medicine. [1]…
Antidepressants Pregnancy Risk: Babies Adversely Affected Sat, 5 Feb 2005 Thanks to the BBC 3-part Panorama series (beginning October 2002), it is no longer a secret that coming off SSRI antidepressants can cause serious symptoms of withdrawal in some users. Christopher Pittman is on trial for killing his grandparents while…
FDA Tones Down Warning–Shyra Kallas an SSRI Suicide Victim Fri, 4 Mar 2005 In his recent testimony before the Senate Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions committee, Dr. David Fassler, representing the American Psychiatric Association (APA) and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP), misrepresented the scientific facts about…
Pittman-Zoloft Trial to begin_ Another Boy on Prozac is Charged in Father’s Slaying – AP Sun, 30 Jan 2005 The Associated Press reports about a homicide case (below) – this time involving a 10 year old boy who is charged with killing his father. AP reports that the child was…
Pfizer Admits Guilt in Promotion of Neurontin–Agrees to Pay $430 Million Sun, 16 May 2004 A lawsuit initiated by Dr. David Franklin, a whistleblower, has been settled: Pfizer pleaded guilty to criminal fraud in the promotion of Neurontin, and agreed to pay $430 million. This case is but an example…
Doctor calls President’s mental health Screening Initiative “Crazy” – UPI Thu, 23 Dec 2004 Dr. Jane Orient, the Executive Director of the Association of American Physicians and Surgeons, has written a brilliant, clear-eyed blistering commentary–Are Your Children Crazy? America’s 52 million school children and 6 million staff are the first…
GSK Sales Reps told NOT to Divulge Paxil Data / Merck Withdraws Vioxx Thu, 30 Sep 2004 The Associated Press reports: “Merck pulled Vioxx after admitting studies showed the drug raised the risk of heart attack. As recently as August, Merck “strongly” disagreed with studies showing the drug increased heart…
Antidepressant drug induced Suicides: Evidence of “Iceberg effect” Revealed Thu, 10 Jun 2004 Canada West reports today: “At least five teenagers in Canada have died, four of suicide, while being treated with the most widely prescribed antidepressants in Canada and at least 100 other children as young as 18 months…
July 12, 2002 Scientifically unsupportable treatments: Hormone replacement therapy and anti-depression drugs FYI July 11th New York Times Editorial said “The news keeps getting worse about the value of hormone replacement therapies for postmenopausal women,” indicating that “The promotional blitz over the years has made hormone replacement therapy sound like…
