Forbes: Face of The Year: David Graham Mon, 13 Dec 2004 Forbes magazine has named Dr. David Graham the Face of the Year’ for his “steadfast advocacy of drug safety and his willingness to blow the whistle on his bosses.” Dr. Graham took a courageous stand as a responsible…
FDA’s Lethal Weakness Requires More than Committees Sun, 7 Nov 2004 Bloomberg News reports that New York State Attorney General Eliot Spitzer requested information from Pfizer about the promotion of some of its drugs for unapproved uses – the recalled diabetes drug, Rezulin and the antidepressant, Zoloft were named. In…
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…
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…
Corporate Culture of Denial Results in Preventable Deaths Fri, 7 Jan 2005 Failure to disclose the hazardous effects of Vioxx and Prozac are evidence of a corporate culture that has run amok. Uncovered company documents – some obtained through litigation, others unearthed by whistleblowers – reveal that the manufacturers knew…
British Medical Journal: Something is rotten at the heart of FDA / Glaxo faces class action suit Sun, 5 Dec 2004 “Something is rotten at the heart of the FDA.” That’s the opening of an editorial in the British Medical Journal. [1] Indeed, there is something rotten at the heart…
FDA Underhanded Tactics Against Medical Officer Who Blew the Whistle Mon, 29 Nov 2004 The Food and Drug Administration is the epicenter of a collision between medical officers in the drug safety office and senior officials in managerial positions whose focus is on facilitating new drug approvals. Officials at the…
Infomail 2005 News Stories on Human Research Protection and Commentary by Vera Hassner Sharav Subscribe to the AHRP infomail list Dec 16: Drugs, Devices & Doctors – NYT Paul Krugman Dec 11: Scientific Fraud & Corruption on Both sides of Atlantic: Merck / Proctor & Gamble Dec 11: Gov Accountability…
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…
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…
UK reports the FDA Conceals Vital Data on Prescription Drugs – Independent Sun, 12 Jun 2005 The entire world has trusted the FDA to ensure that only safe and effective drugs are approved for marketing–other agencies, lacking the necessary resources often followed FDA’s lead. However, such deferrence is no longer…
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…
