By TIM HULL TUCSON (CN) – A patient filed a civil battery lawsuit against an Arizona neurosurgeon, claiming the doctor implanted devices in him without revealing that he was on the take from a company that paid… Read More ›
Corruption – Fabricated Data
Drugs now to be approved based on a educated guess that it will help the patient, not necessarily improved survival
U.S. drugmakers cheer ‘speed lane’ for breakthrough therapies Source: Reuters – Wed, 24 Jul 2013 11:53 PM Author: Reuters By Toni Clarke WASHINGTON, July 24 (Reuters) – A new regulatory pathway could shave years off the traditional drug approval process… Read More ›
GlaxoSmithKline finance head banned from leaving China
The BBC’s Martin Patience in Beijing: “Business leaders say foreign companies operating in China have never faced a tougher time” Related Stories China media: GSK case Chinese GSK executive ‘confesses’ Peston: GSK’s Chinese lesson Chinese authorities looking into alleged bribery… Read More ›
Pricing scandal sees NHS pay £89 for cod-liver oil capsules
Taxpayers are being charged up to 40 times the usual cost for common over-the-counter products being prescribed by NHS doctors, The Telegraph can disclose. The NHS confirmed that inflated prices were being paid by taxpayers and announced the situation was… Read More ›
Glaxo used travel agencies for China bribes – police / Over $489 million
Source: Reuters – Mon, 15 Jul 2013 12:39 PM Author: Reuters A Chinese national flag is seen in front of a GlaxoSmithKline office building in Shanghai, July 12, 2013 REUTERS/Aly Song * GSK used travel agencies to funnel bribes… Read More ›
NHS hit for millions by overcharging ‘scam’
Drug companies exploit loophole in the law to hike prices by as much as 2,000 per cent Sanchez Manning Sunday, 14 July 2013 Drugs companies have been accused of “highway robbery” of the NHS by using a legal loophole to… Read More ›
China says GlaxoSmithKline execs confess to bribery and tax crimes
Source: Reuters – Thu, 11 Jul 2013 04:32 PM Author: Reuters * Biggest graft case involving foreign firm for years * GSK says it is cooperating fully with authorities * Lawyer says too early to say what punishment might be… Read More ›
International Counterfeit Drug Ring Hit in Massive Sting / 1,677 illegal pharmacy Web Sites claiming to be CVS, Walgreens etc..
Pill of Goods: International Counterfeit Drug Ring Hit in Massive Sting Court documents review process that led the FDA to shut down more than 1,600 illegal pharmacy Web sites By Dina Fine Maron | Wednesday, July 3, 2013 | 5 Pill… Read More ›
Off-Label Marketing Puts Novartis in Hot Water – Sold to Children and is a Carcinogen
Off-Label Marketing Puts Novartis in Hot Water By ROSE BOUBOUSHIAN (CN) – Novartis Pharmaceuticals must face claims that it promoted the use on infants of a drug that U.S. regulators have deemed harmful, a federal judge ruled. While working as… Read More ›
Exposed: Edward Erin, the doctor whose faked asthma drug test results proved fatal
Fabricated research was not discovered until Edward Erin tried to poison his girlfriend John Lawless Monday, 17 June 2013 A British doctor faked test results during clinical trials for an asthma drug in which one person died and others contracted… Read More ›
Investigation into safety of new diabetes drugs — will manufacturers release their data?
Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmj.com 44-207-383-6529 BMJ-British Medical Journal Joint BMJ/Channel 4 Dispatches investigation The BMJ and Channel 4 Dispatches investigated and found that evidence suggesting potential harm from the drugs in industry studies has not been published. Some independent studies… Read More ›
Honoured in Britain, the US psychiatrist who took $1.2m from drug companies
Professor’s invitation to give prestigious lecture in London causes outrage among peers Jeremy Laurance Tuesday, 11 June 2013 Britain’s premier institute for the study of mental illness has become embroiled in a damaging row over its decision to invite a… Read More ›
Added benefit of dapagliflozin is not proven
Manufacturer’s dossier did not contain suitable data for any therapeutic indication Dapagliflozin (trade name: Forxiga) has been approved in Germany since November 2012 for the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus. In an early benefit assessment pursuant to the Act… Read More ›
FDA – 2012 law now in effect which lifts conflict of interest restrictions on FDA advisory panels
Contact: Kathy Fackelmann kfackelmann@gwu.edu 202-994-8354 George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services Conflict-of-interest restrictions needed to ensure strong FDA review Panel members with ties to industry might lead to approval of unsafe drugs, new analysis suggests WASHINGTON,… Read More ›
Aflibercept in AMD: no proof of added benefit
Manufacturer’s dossier did not contain any usable data for the comparison with ranibizumab The drug aflibercept (trade name: Eylea) has been approved in Germany since November 2012 for the treatment of wet age-related macular degeneration (AMD). In an early benefit… Read More ›
The real cancer killer: rip-off prices for drugs
Doctors say industry ‘profiteering’ threatens lives Jeremy Laurance Sunday, 28 April 2013 An influential group of cancer experts has warned that the high prices charged by pharmaceutical companies for cancer drugs are effectively condemning patients to death. The group of… Read More ›
U.S. sues Novartis over kickbacks, 2nd case this week : The $10,000 Dinner for 3
Source: Reuters – Fri, 26 Apr 2013 08:44 PM Author: Reuters * Second civil fraud lawsuit by U.S. in four days * U.S. says Novartis sought to boost sales of drugs * Dinners held at pricey Chicago, D.C. restaurants *… Read More ›
Feds Accuse Novartis of Kickback Drug Scheme
MANHATTAN (CN) – Novartis Pharmaceuticals cost Medicare and Medicaid tens of millions of dollars by paying kickbacks to pharmacies to switch transplant patients to one of its drugs instead of cheaper generics, federal prosecutors say. The United… Read More ›
US hospitals make more money when surgery goes wrong
17 Apr 2013 WASHINGTON (AFP) US hospitals face a disincentive to improve care because they make drastically more money when surgery goes wrong than when a patient is discharged with no complications, a study published Tuesday found. “We found clear evidence that… Read More ›
Our genomic liberty may be lost: ” Companies have essentially claimed the entire human genome for profit”
Contact: Lauren Woods Law2014@med.cornell.edu 646-317-7401 Weill Cornell Medical College You don’t ‘own’ your own genes Researchers raise alarm about loss of individual ‘genomic liberty’ due to gene patents that may impact the era of personalized medicine NEW YORK (March 25,… Read More ›
Man Says Kaiser Business Model Includes Death
By PHILIP A. JANQUART LOS ANGELES (CN) – Kaiser Foundation Health Plan refuses to pay for care necessary to save a man’s life, he claims in court. Jalal Afshar, 58, suffers from Castleman’s disease, a rare condition known… Read More ›
Doctors paid millions to shill for Big Pharma
Thousands of physicians are profiting from promotional speaking gigs for drugmakers, but is the practice ethical? By Tracy Weber and Charles Ornstein (Credit: Shutterstock/Alexander Raths) This originally appeared on ProPublica. Update Mar. 11, 2013, 4:55 pm: This post has… Read More ›
FDA redactions policy violates Freedom of Information Act / Conceals Drug and Medical device dangers form the public
Open gov’t groups: FDA redactions rules skirt law Transparency groups: Long-standing FDA redactions policy violates Freedom of Information Act By Matthew Perrone, AP Health Writer | Associated Press – 22 hrs ago WASHINGTON (AP) — A federal policy that allows the… Read More ›
Buying un-American: Bribery Case Spotlights DoD’s Covert Effort To Obtain Foreign Weapons
Mar. 1, 2013 – 03:25PM By ARAM ROSTON Russian air-to-air missiles – an AA-11 Archer and an AA-8 Aphid – are displayed for then-Chief Master Sgt. of the Air Force James A. Roy at the National Air and Space Intelligence… Read More ›
Panel Recommends ***Against*** Daily Vitamin D and Calcium Supplementation for the Primary Prevention of Fractures in Postmenopausal Women
EEV: I had to read the title a few times. They claim that 1 kidney stone per 273 woman over seven years is to great a risk. 2.5% Sup group vs. 2.1 Placebo Group. Hmmmm. I recommend that this taskforce… Read More ›
Almost one-third of chemotherapy used “off-label”
4:44pm EST By Andrew M. Seaman NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – About one-third of chemotherapies are used to fight cancers that drug regulators never approved them to treat, says a new study. Chemotherapies – drugs that kill rapidly dividing cells… Read More ›
Study finds that ‘Big Pharma’ fails at self-policing ED drug advertising: Sex, lies and television?
“The mechanism set up by PhRMA for consumers to make complaints does not function: the FAX machine is typically not connected and complaints go unanswered.” Contact: Buffie Stephens buffiestephens@uncc.edu 704-687-5830 University of North Carolina at Charlotte CHARLOTTE, N.C. –Feb…. Read More ›
Fired for Reporting ICU Risks, Kaiser Nurse Says
By WILLIAM DOTINGA OAKLAND, Calif. (CN) – A nurse claims that Kaiser Permanente managers fired her after she complained about sub-standard conditions in the neonatal intensive care unit of a newly-opened facility. Dawn Smith sued the Permanente Medical… Read More ›
New study finds neither HFCS nor table sugar increases liver fat under ‘real world’ conditions !!! STUDY designed to FAIL !!!
EEV: This study must be faulted in two area’s immediately: 1. Length of Study 10 Weeks, like Huh? 2. “Not only is it safe to consume caloric sweeteners at recommended levels, it is important for consumers to understand that high… Read More ›
FDA withheld documents of defective defibrillator device to avoid embarrassing the manufacturer – and itself, a union claims in court.
Union Says FDA Is Hiding Document By ELIZABETH WARMERDAM LOS ANGELES (CN) – The FDA wrongfully redacted “almost every portion” of a crucial report on problems with an implanted heart defibrillator, to avoid embarrassing the manufacturer – and itself, a… Read More ›
Kids on Meds Meant for Adults Lose Class Status
By LORRAINE BAILEY (CN) – A federal judge refused to certify a nationwide class of children and teens who took the antidepressants Celexa or Lexapro, which are approved only for adults. Beginning in 2009, Forest Pharmaceuticals faced a rash of… Read More ›
In a bizarre lawsuit, six people claim police ran an “unethical clinical trial,” getting them high on illegal drugs
EEV: It sounds unbelievable until you read the police testimony towards the bottom Cops Gave Out Dope for Experiment, Six Say By IULIA FILIP MINNEAPOLIS (CN) – In a bizarre lawsuit, six people claim police ran an “unethical clinical trial,”… Read More ›
Scientists may have received millions in duplicate funding
Contact: John Pastor jdpastor@vt.edu 540-231-5646 Virginia Tech Virginia Tech scientists use text-mining software to find cases of duplicate funding Big Data computation at the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute at Virginia Tech reveals that over the past two decades funding agencies may… Read More ›
A woman accused of helping the U.S. government infect hundreds of Guatemalans with syphilis has full immunity from a class action
Guatemala Experiment Case Suffers New Setback By BARBARA LEONARD WASHINGTON (CN) – A woman accused of helping the U.S. government infect hundreds of Guatemalans with syphilis has full immunity from a class action, a federal judge ruled. During the 40… Read More ›
Senators’ secret plan to give Amgen half a billion in fiscal cliff deal reveals Capitol Hill’s ‘sordid swamp’
By Bill Moyers and Michael Winship Friday, January 25, 2013 12:55 EST The inauguration of a president is one of those spectacles of democracy that can make us remember we’re part of something big and enduring. So for a… Read More ›
Harms from breast cancer screening outweigh benefits if death caused by treatment is included
Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmjgroup.com 44-020-738-36529 BMJ-British Medical Journal Cancer expert remains to be convinced by breast screening review Harms from breast cancer screening outweigh benefits if death caused by treatment is included Michael Baum, Professor emeritus of surgery at University… Read More ›
Alarming Tale From a Snack Food Group
By CHRIS FRY MORRISTOWN, N.J. (CN) – A Ph.D. in food science claims in court that Pinnacle Foods Group fired him for protesting its “illegal, fraudulent” production policies, telling him that “Pinnacle’s products were ‘trailer park food’… Read More ›
Are antidepressants overused? : 75% of those who write these definitions have links to drug companies.
Contact: Emma Dickinson edickinson@bmjgroup.com 44-020-738-36529 BMJ-British Medical Journal Head to head: Are antidepressants overprescribed? Antidepressant prescriptions in the UK have increased by 9.6% in 2011, to 46 million prescriptions. Does this reflect overmedicalisation or appropriate treatment? Two experts debate the… Read More ›
Scientific fraud: Misconduct occurs across the career spectrum, from trainees to senior scientists
Contact: Kim Newman sciencenews@einstein.yu.edu 718-430-3101 Albert Einstein College of Medicine Men more likely than women to commit scientific fraud January 22, 2013 — (Bronx, NY) —Male scientists are far more likely to commit fraud than females and the fraud occurs… Read More ›
CIA Vaccine Hoax Condemned By Public Health Deans
William McGuinness william.mcguinness@huffingtonpost.com Posted: 01/10/2013 5:41 pm EST | Updated: 01/10/2013 6:32 pm EST University public health schools’ deans say health workers should be off limits. Public health school deans from prominent colleges and universities across the country have signed a… Read More ›
Foodborne Illness Could Have Sinister Causes : Medications being intentionally added
Contact: Angela Collom acollom@acponline.org 215-351-2653 American College of Physicians Observation Article: Foodborne Illness Could Have Sinister Causes Doctors should consider the intentional addition of medicine to food as a potential cause of foodborne disease outbreaks. The World Health Organization… Read More ›
CVS Pharmacy Muscle
SAN FRANCISCO – CVS Caremark illegally swipes patient information from competing pharmacies and uses it to try to steal their customers, a class action claims in Federal Court. http://www.courthousenews.com/2012/12/31/53518.htm
Firms May Be Liable for Acne Treatment Woes: Acne Drug Solodyn related to Liver Failure, Lupus, and Hepatitis
By ROSE BOUBOUSHIAN (CN) – A college student whose liver failed allegedly as a result of using the acne treatment Solodyn may sue Medicis and Ranbaxy Pharmaceuticals for negligence, a federal judge ruled. Brittani Tigert,… Read More ›
$11.4 Million for Drug Kickbacks : Naproxen, Xodol, Fexmid, Dolgic
SAN DIEGO (CN) – San Diego-based Victory Pharma will pay $11.4 million in civil and criminal fines for paying kickbacks to doctors who prescribed its drugs, federal prosecutors said. Victory entered a deferred-prosecution agreement, agreed to pay… Read More ›
$600 Million Drug Cheat, Researchers Say
By ELIZABETH WARMERDAM SAN FRANCISCO (CN) – Venture capitalists swiped the rights to a new heart drug and stand to make $620 million from it, cheating the research company that developed it, the neuroscience company… Read More ›
‘Bad Pharma’ says we’re all victims of drug industry
By Stephen Curry, The Guardian Monday, December 24, 2012 11:11 EST Topics: clinical trials You should read it because behind the anodyne cover lurks a tale of horrific fascination that affects us all. Bad Pharma is the story of… Read More ›
No standard for the placebo? ” placebo ingredients for pills were disclosed in fewer than 10 percent of cases “
2010 study posted for filing Contact: Debra Kain ddkain@ucsd.edu 619-543-6163 University of California – San Diego Much of medicine is based on what is considered the strongest possible evidence: The placebo-controlled trial. A paper published in the October 19 issue… Read More ›
Eli Lilly Coughs Up $29 Million for Bribes: ” As is customary with the SEC, Lilly did not have to admit that it did anything wrong “
WASHINGTON (CN) – Eli Lilly & Co. will pay $29 million to settle charges of bribing foreign officials for contracts in four countries, the SEC said Thursday. Lilly subsidiaries paid off government officials in Russia, Brazil, China and Poland to… Read More ›
Pharmaceuticals: A market for producing ‘lemons’ and serious harm
2010 study posted for filing Contact: Daniel Fowler fowler@asanet.org 202-527-7885 American Sociological Association Incentives and protections for industry encourage development of many drugs with few new benefits over existing pharmaceuticals, but with risk of serious harm to users ATLANTA —… Read More ›
Free statins with fast food could neutralize heart risk, scientists say
2010 report posted for filing Contact: Sam Wong sam.wong@imperial.ac.uk 44-020-759-42198 Imperial College London Fast food outlets could provide statin drugs free of charge so that customers can neutralize the heart disease dangers of fatty food, researchers at Imperial College London… Read More ›
Engineering Evil 