Tag Archives: FDA

Public ‘misled’ by drug trial claims

Doctors and patients are being misled about the effectiveness of some drugs because negative trial results are not published, experts have warned. Writing in the British Medical Journal, they say that pharmaceutical companies should be forced to publish all data, not just positive findings. The German team give the example of the antidepressant reboxetine, saying publications have failed to show the drug in a true light. Pfizer maintains its drug is effective. Reboxetine (Edronax), made by Pfizer, is used in many European countries, including the UK. But its rejection by US drug regulators raised doubts about its effectiveness, and led some to hunt for missing data. This is not the first time a large drug company has come under fire about its published drug trial data.

Carrollton Mother In Murders-Suicide Took Depression Meds

The Carroll County coroner said a woman who police said killed her two young children before taking her own life on Wednesday had been taking medication for depression. Coroner Mandal Haas said Thursday that 24-year-old Madison Hallett hadn’t given any indication that she would kill her children. Police said Hallett first shot and killed her 6-year-old daughter, Natalya Marie Carosiellie, while the girl was in bed. Hallett then went to another bedroom, where police said she shot and killed her 18-month-old son, Drayden W. Hallett-Warnick, while he was sleeping in his crib. Police said Hallett then turned the gun on herself, and her body was found next to her son’s crib.

Booming Sales of Antipsychotic Drugs Often Fueled by Illegal Marketing Tactics

The Times reports that civil and criminal lawsuits against big pharmaceutical companies have revealed hundreds of documents showing that some company officials knew they were using questionable tactics when they marketed these powerful, expensive drugs. According to analysts and court documents, these tactics have included payments, gifts, meals and trips for doctors, biased studies, and ghostwritten medical journal articles.

Sex, Lies and Pharmaceuticals—How Female Sexual Dysfunction (a “mental disorder”) was invented by the drug industry

Female sexual dysfunction – which is claimed to affect up to two thirds of women – is a disorder invented by the pharmaceutical industry to build global markets for drugs to treat it, it is claimed today. Drug companies have invested millions in the search for a female equivalent of Viagra, so far without success. But while doing so they have stoked demand by creating a buzz around the disorder they have created, according to Ray Moynihan, a lecturer at the University of Newcastle in Australia.