TMAP: The Psycho-Pharma Front Business
The Texas Medication Algorithm (flow chart) Project (TMAP) was developed in 1995 in a collaborative effort between the pharmaceutical industry, prominent University of Texas psychiatrists…
Psychiatrist comes under fire from Senator Grassley for writing 96,685 psych drug prescriptions – about 153 per day
The letter from Senator Grassley does not mention Fernando Mendez-Villamil by name, but it cites documents from the Florida Agency for Healthcare Administration about a prescriber who wrote 96,685 prescriptions for from the last quarter of 2007 through the first quarter of 2009 for Medicaid patients. Mendez-Villamil wrote nearly twice as many prescriptions for psychiatric drugs as the No. 2 Medicaid prescriber in the state.
Paxil birth defect settlement tops list of “most impactful” lawsuit settlements for 2009
Michelle David filed a lawsuit against GlaxoSmithKline, alleging the company’s antidepressant, Paxil was responsible for her son’s birth defects. David said she had taken Paxil while pregnant and was not aware of the potential side effects. The jury also found that Paxil was a factual cause of the little boy’s heart problems. David was awarded $2.5 million.
That British Drug Maker Glaxo’s $1 Billion Paxil Settlements Were Disclosed by Press – Not Drug Maker – Is Cause for Concern
The fact that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) has paid $1 billion to settle lawsuits related to Paxil was disclosed by Bloomberg and not the company itself illustrates how lousy financial disclosure rules are in Europe and why drug companies based there cannot be trusted to tell the truth about what is going on with their litigation liabilities and, by extension, the safety of their drugs.
NAMI – the ‘patients rights’ group which is really funded by & a major lobbying arm of Psycho/Pharma – is on the defensive
After reports that most donations made to the big advocacy group came from drug makers in recent years, the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) agreed to disclose its funding sources. The disclosure, however, came after protracted criticism of NAMI for coordinating lobbying efforts with drug makers and pushing legislation that also benefits the pharma industry.