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Chemical found 'everywhere' may cause cancer, study says
2008-04-16 17:25:00
Federal panel urges scrutiny of substance used to make plasticBy LYNDSEY LAYTONWashington Post WASHINGTON — A federal health panel Tuesday for the first time acknowledged concerns that a chemical found in thousands of everyday products such as baby bottles and compact discs may cause cancer and other serious disorders.The draft report by the National Toxicology Program, an office of the National Institutes of Health, signaled a turning point in the government's position on bisphenol-a, or BPA, so ubiquitous in American society that it has been detected in the urine of 93 percent of the population over 6 years of age.Last year, another expert panel using outside scientists minimized the health risks of BPA, but its findings were widely assailed after a congressional investigation found that a company hired to perform scientific analysis was also working for the chemical industry.Used in plastic production since the 1950s, BPA in laboratory animals may be linked to breast cancer, p...
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Citing Ethics, Some Doctors Are Rejecting Industry Pay
2008-04-15 16:36:00
By GINA KOLATAWith little fanfare, a small number of prominent academic scientists have made a decision that was until recently all but unheard of. They decided to stop accepting payments from food, drug and medical device companies.No longer will they be paid for speaking at meetings or for sitting on advisory boards. They may still work with companies. It is important, they say, for knowledgeable scientists to help companies draw up and interpret studies. But the work will be pro bono.The scientists say their decisions were private and made with mixed emotions. In at least one case, the choice resulted in significant financial sacrifice. While the investigators say they do not want to appear superior to their colleagues, they also express relief. At last, they say, when they offer a heartfelt and scientifically reasoned opinion, no one will silently put an asterisk next to their name.They are part of a group responding to accusations of ethical conflicts inherent in these arrangem...
More About: Doctors , Industry , Ethics

Pressured, med firms to disclose grant info
2008-04-14 16:28:00
By JANET MOORE, Star TribuneApril 11, 2008Under pressure from congressional leaders, several of the nation's top medical device and drug companies say they plan to publicly disclose donations and grants to outside organizations, such as patient advocacy groups and medical societies.Among them: Fridley-based medical technology giant Medtronic Inc., which said it will post the grant information on its website (www.medtronic.com) beginning May 1. Other large medical device firms in Minnesota, including Boston Scientific Corp., and St. Jude Medical Inc., say they are working on or interested in similar programs.The thinking among some congressional leaders is that allowing public scrutiny of the payments will discourage questionable industry practices that could influence patient care.The companies' declarations come after Sen. Chuck Grassley of Iowa, the ranking Republican on the Finance Committee, wrote to 15 of the nation's biggest drug and device companies Feb. 26 asking if they ...
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How drug companies try to influence doctors
2008-04-13 03:27:00
By Robert Farley, Times Staff WriterPublished Saturday, April 12, 2008 3:42 PMGiftsAnything from branded pens and coffee mugs to expensive dinners and payment for travel to meetings.Value: In direct marketing to physicians, industry spends an average $13,000 per physician, per year.GhostwritingPharmaceutical companies or their surrogates "ghostwrite'' medical journal articles, editorials and letters to the editor supporting a company's research or product. The signed "author" typically played no role in the research, writing or editing.Value: One company paid physicians $1,000 per article.Speakers bureausPhysicians promote a drug through a series of speeches or presentations that are prepared or vetted by pharmaceutical companies.Value: Various. One psychiatrist said he was paid $550 to $750 per talk; a Minnesota psychiatrist who sits on a Medicaid advisory panel received $350,000 in speaking fees over three years.Drug samplesBrand-name drug samples distributed to physicians.Valu...
More About: Companies , Doctors , Influence

Code of Conduct for pharma industry bars ‘exotic’ offers for doctors
2008-04-12 19:04:00
By Bandula SirimannaThe newly amended Code of Marketing Pharma ceutical Practices has laid down strict guidelines preventing the offering or providing of any favours including foreign trips for medical practitioners in return for prescribing drugs.The pharmaceutical industry which had come under some criticism in the recent past for alleged unethical marketing practices has laid down in its Code with some strong restrictions for its members which include linking sponsorships to International /Local medical Congresses, to any obligation to prescribe, recommend or promote any pharmaceutical product.The Sri Lanka Chamber for Pharmaceutical Industry (SLCPI) Code also specifically prohibits members from organising any social events for doctors and clearly states that any sponsorship which involves symposiums or professional meetings should be purely to inform about healthcare products or provide scientific or educational information that would benefit the healthcare professionals and the ...
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Drug Companies to Reveal Grant Practices
2008-04-11 20:09:00
By KEVIN FREKING – 9 hours agoWASHINGTON (AP) — For years, the nation's largest drug and medical device manufacturers have courted doctors with consulting fees, free trips to exotic locales and by sponsoring the educational conferences that physicians attend.Those financial ties don't have to be disclosed in most cases and can lead to arrangements that some say improperly influence medical care.Now, under the threat of regulation from Congress, the two industries promise to be more forthcoming about their spending. A dozen of the nation's leading drug and device makers have told Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, that they have plans or are working on plans to publicly disclose grants to outside groups. The details will be provided on each company's Web sites.Watchdog groups say the companies are trying to head off legislation that would require public disclosure of their giving."If they were doing this out of the goodness of their heart, they would have done so decades ago," sa...
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Appeals court favors pre-emption defense in antidepressants case
2008-04-11 19:42:00
Ben ComerAn appellate court has upheld a decision protecting pharmaceutical companies from a product liability lawsuit over warning labels.The ruling immunized Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline from claims that pre-existing drug warning labels had not sufficiently articulated safety risks on Pfizer's Zoloft and a generic version of Paxil, made by Apotex. Families representing two patients who committed suicide after taking selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) were told that FDA personnel are responsible for the accuracy and approval of drug labels, not state courts.The 2-1 ruling demonstrates the concept of “pre-emption,” or federal regulatory law superseding state-law tort actions. The decision stopped short of deciding “whether pre-emption would be appropriate under different facts” or “whether the FDA's mere approval of drug labeling is sufficient to pre-empt state-law claims,” according to a majority opinion written by circuit judge Dolores Sloviter. “Our hol...
More About: Defense , Case , Court , Antidepressants

Are drugs trials stopped early to exaggerate benefits?
2008-04-10 05:04:00
Stopping the trial of a promising cancer drug early often means that more patients will be able to reap the benefits, but could there be commercial pressure from pharmaceutical companies to exaggerate the true benefits of the drug?That's the concern after an analysis of 25 cancer drug trials over the past 11 years suggested a growing trend for trials to be stopped early because they suggested a strong benefit to patients being given the drug.Others say that better designed clinical trials are identifying the benefits of drugs at an earlier stage.Giovanni Apolone at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy, looked at trials conducted between 1997 and 2007, which had been stopped after an interim analysis of the data.This suggested that it would be unethical to continue the trial because those not being given the drug would be at a disadvantage.Commercial component?Of these trials, more than 50% were stopped within the last three years.Apolone also ident...
More About: Drugs , Early , Benefits , Trials

Living and dying with dangerous pharmaceutical companies
2008-04-10 01:32:00
By JACK LeMOULTGuest ColumnistPerhaps we should be grateful to the pharmaceutical industry for developing and marketing the medications that prolong our lives, alleviate our symptoms, and ease our pain. We could not persist as a modern society without them. And yet, one gets the impression that a cruel and cut-throat culture has seized control of the drug companies. There are a number of indications that there is an ethical black hole at the center of the pharmaceutical industry. Among the indications are tremendously overpriced drugs, constant price increases, enormous profits, and a ruthless, wealthy, powerful lobby. That lobby was able to impose its will on the Republicans in Congress in 2003 and force them to enact a Medicare Part D Drug Program that enriches the pharmaceutical industry while it short-changes senior citizens, the government, and the taxpayers.For the past few years, television watchers have been bombarded with advertisements for Vytorin and Zetia, drugs used to ...
More About: Companies , Living , Pharmaceutical , Dying , Dangerous

Natural Cure for Hair Loss – Things They Tell You and Things They Won't
2008-04-09 17:33:00
Ryan EnglishApril 08, 2008Hair loss is a problem that no one seems to want. Hair falling from the scalp is a universally common thing to happen; but the scalp losing out the hair permanently is something quite ungainly. No wonder then, there is a whole world of hair loss treatments out there, each with a diverse approach to resolve the problem. Included in this plethora is the natural cure for hair loss, which is mainly about using herbal supplements to prevent hair loss.Which are the natural cures of hair loss?Today, the herbal supplements for hair loss prevention have gained wide currency in the western world. In fact, most people with hair loss problems would prefer trying out a herbal therapy before going in for more drastic measures of treatment. These supplements can contain a host of ingredients, including but not restricted to vitamins and multivitamins, oils such as primrose oil and fish oil, lysine, saw palmetto, horsetail, ginger, green tea extracts, licorice extracts, ap...
More About: Natural , Loss , Things , Cure

Learn to cook with herbs and how to make soup
2008-04-08 17:22:00
Herbal essenceThe Monroe County Fair, 4-H and Lucas Greenhouses are sponsoring a workshop Saturday on how to grow, show and cook with herbs. Adults and youths are welcome. The workshop runs from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Cornell Cooperative Extension of Monroe County, 249 Highland Ave. The workshop is free, but registration is encouraged. Call (585) 334-4000.Cook ing classesSoup is onWegmans Menu Cooking School at 3195 Monroe Ave., Pittsford, is offering Soup's On, a cooking class featuring spicy red lentil chili, Indian spinach and peanut and other soups. The class runs from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. April 26 and costs $59. Samples of the recipes prepared as well as a salad and cheese will be served. To register, call (585) 249-0278 or stop by the catering counter at the Pittsford Wegmans store. Trend watchFrugality on the riseGiven the tough economy, it's not surprising to see home cooks looking for bargain meals. Here are two signs that penny-pinching is on the rise in home kitchens:# Th...
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Natural Remedies for Stress – Dealing with Stress
2008-04-05 20:03:00
Nick MuttApril 05, 2008If you are leading a busy and modern lifestyle, you may feel some stress. There is no way to avoid stress completely, but natural remedy can treat your body better whenever you are under a lot of stress.Stress can make you sleepless and feel overloaded. When you don´t sleep properly your immune system will be weak or low. You have to learn to cope with stress naturally with positive attitude. Vitamins and supplements are helpful in making your body and mind strong enough to fight against stress and depression. You should take proper diet for adequate supply of nutrients in the body.Drinking alcohol or smoking cigarettes are bad for stress. Some people used to smoke or drink in stress to cure it. But the truth is that alcohol and smoking takes away the nutrients from the body. It can cause more stress and affect your health badly.Siberian ginseng or lemon balm is very effective natural remedy for stress. It soothes the complete nervous system and decrease stre...
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Adbusters’ Ads Busted
2008-04-04 22:15:00
By James H. Ewert Jr.Major television networks in Canada and the United States have refused to air Adbusters' spoof ads, called 'subvertisements.'Kalle Lasn is a fighter for the right to communicate. A privilege, says the founder of Adbusters magazine, that goes one step farther than the freedom of speech.“You can stand on the corner and shout at people as they are going by,” Lasn says. “But if a handful of corporations have media in their pocket, they can totally hoodwink the public.”From his home in Vancouver, Lasn himself communicates to the masses on the pages of Adbusters—a 10-year-old culture-jamming magazine published through the Adbusters Media Foundation.On Feb. 18, the Supreme Court of British Columbia dismissed a case that Lasn brought forth, which argued that Canadian TV conglomerate CanWest Global was obligated, under the Canadian Broadcasting Act, to sell television advertising time to Adbusters.The court’s dismissal reiterated the rulings of North Ameri...
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Home Remedies for Sterility and the Dietary Guidelines
2008-04-03 16:39:00
Nick MuttApril 02, 2008Sterility is a very common problem seen today where a person is biologically incapable to produce children. It is the problem of a couple rather than of an individual. Sterility can be of either the male or the female partner, so in general, we say that the couple is suffering from sterility. One of the preliminary steps in treating sterility is to determine whether the problem lies with the male or the female partner.Sterility is also known as infertility. There are two basic types of sterility seen in people. The first type is known as primary sterility. In this the couple has never conceived a child. The second type, known as secondary sterility occurs when the couple has conceived a child, but has had a miscarriage. Primary sterility can be due to the male or the female partner; but secondary sterility is only due to problems with the woman´s reproductive system.Home Remedies for SterilityThere are several natural and home remedies for sterility. These re...
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Small Farmer Wins Moral Victory Over Monsanto
2008-04-02 16:41:00
(NaturalNews) Percy Schmeiser has a check for $660 and a Right Livelihood Award to prove that sometimes the little guy wins. In a modern version of the David vs. Goliath story, a 77 year-old Saskatchewan farmer and his wife are now considered folk heroes following settlement of their legal battle with agribusiness giant Monsanto Canada Inc., after the company sued them for patent violation of genetically engineered canola seeds in 1997.The Schmeisers were sued after plants from the genetically modified canola seeds were found on their farm near Bruno, Saskatchewan.The company claimed that the Schmeisers had violated its patent on the seeds, which had been genetically modified to resist Roundup herbicide. The couple was accused of knowingly planting the seeds without paying the royalty fees to Monsanto, which sought damages for $400,000.The Schmeiser's claimed they did not plant the seeds, and argued that the seeds blew onto their property from a nearby road or neighboring farm.In 2...
More About: Victory , Small , Wins , Farmer

Schmeiser saga settled for $660
2008-03-24 03:41:00
Murray Lyons, Saskatchewan News Network; Canwest News ServicePublished: Thursday, March 20, 2008SASKATOON -- Percy Schmeiser, the Bruno-area farmer who has spent the better part of 10 years battling Monsanto Canada Inc. in court, claimed victory Wednesday after the corporate giant handed him a cheque for $660 to settle a small claims case dating back to 2005.Schmeiser says he found Roundup Ready canola plants growing on a fallow farm field that summer and filed a small claims court case a year later to recover the money he says he paid to have workers remove the plants from his farm.Besides getting the money, Schmeiser says it was also a victory that he was able to sign a non-standard release which he says gives him the right to sue Monsanto again should canola with the Roundup Ready gene be found on that same piece of land again.However, Monsanto says the release Schmeiser did sign to get his claim paid does not allow him to file any further lawsuits over the 2005 finding of herbic...
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WHAT TO TAKE WHEN YOU'RE SICK
2008-03-23 18:10:00
Alternative remedies and some over-the-counter drugs can help when you're sickDate published: 3/23/2008When your persnickety, purist doctor won't prescribe antibiotics for your cold/flu/sinus infection/ear infection/bronchitis, what should you take?Whatever makes you comfortable while your immune system fights off the virus, which can take a couple of weeks.There are more than 800 over-the-counter cold remedies, and some of them have gone out of favor a bit, having been found not very effective, or worse. The cough suppressant dextromethorphan is being used by some kids to get high (turning them into "Robotards"--named after one of the more popular DM-containing products, Robitussin). And the popular decongestant sudefedrin is now being used to make methamphetamine.Guaifenesin is a useful treatment for cold/flu/sinus problems. It will thin out the mucus and encourage drainage and expectoration. Guaifenesin is in many over-the-counter products. The highest dose is in Mucinex.Discus...
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Schmeiser pleased with victory over Monsanto
2008-03-22 22:19:00
CALGARY, March 19 /CNW/ - In an out of court settlement finalized onMarch 19, 2008, Percy Schmeiser has settled his lawsuit with Monsanto .Monsanto has agreed to pay all the clean-up costs of the Roundup Ready canolathat contaminated Schmeiser's fields. The issue revolves around unwanted Roundup Ready canola plants thatarrived on Schmeiser's fields. Monsanto refused to reimburse or compensateSchmeiser for this contamination unless he signed an agreement to not speakpublically on the matter and that he would never sue Monsanto forcontamination. A significant part of the agreement is that there was no gag-orderimposed on the settlement and that Monsanto could be sued again if furthercontamination occurred. Schmeiser believes this precedent setting agreement ensures that farmerswill be entitled to reimbursement when their fields become contaminated withunwanted Roundup Ready canola or any other unwanted GMO plants. "In an indirect way, Monsanto has acknowledged liability f...
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New Clinical Trial Mandate Poses Concerns for Drug Firms
2008-03-22 18:16:00
By Donna YoungBioWorld Today Washington EditorReports that clinical trial data were being suppressed led Congress last fall to pass legislation requiring drugmakers to submit study information, other than Phase I, to a publicly accessible registry and results database.The law, enacted Sept. 27 as part of the FDA Amendments Act (FDAAA) of 2007, is intended to make clinical trial operations and results more visible to the public.However, said analyst Christopher Raymond, of Robert W. Baird & Co., disclosures of a firm's clinical trial data, including the details about a study's design, may put manufacturers at risk of losing their competitive edge. Clinical trial results, he added, could contain information about a signal for a mechanism for which a company may not want its competitors to be aware.Biotech and other drugmakers also are voicing concerns that the disclosure requirement may accelerate the move toward overseas trials, and could make companies more reluctant about conduct...
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Drug Companies on the Hook for Off-Label Use of Generic
2008-03-22 18:14:00
Amaris Elliott-EngelThe Legal Intelligencer03-24-2008In an apparent case of first impression, a Philadelphia judge has ruled that two pharmaceutical companies may have a legal duty to class members for money spent on the generic version of the companies' name-brand drug allegedly marketed by the companies for uses not approved by federal regulators.The generic drug in the case was produced by a third-party manufacturer.Three class action claims alleging that Warner-Lambert Co. and its merger partner, Pfizer Inc., marketed a drug for off-label use to treat medical conditions not approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration have survived partial summary judgment following the judge's ruling earlier this month.The plaintiffs in the class action allege that the drug company defendants conducted a campaign to promote the prescription of its Neurontin drug and its generic equivalent, gabapentin, for a number of medical uses not approved by the FDA, according to court papers.Phil...
More About: Companies , Label , Generic , Hook

Grain farmer claims moral victory in seed battle
2008-03-21 22:27:00
Ten years after he took on the multinational Monsanto, Saskatchewan man gets $660 and the right to talk about itMATT HARTLEYWith a report from The Canadian PressMarch 20, 2008Percy Schmeiser's decade-long legal odyssey has finally come to an end - and he's got a cheque for $660 to prove it.The 77-year-old Saskatchewan farmer and his wife, Louise, became international folk heroes for their legal struggle with agribusiness giant Monsanto Canada Inc., after the company sued them for violating its patent on genetically engineered canola seeds in 1997.Although the Schmeisers eventually wound up losing their court battle with the St. Louis-based company in a landmark Supreme Court of Canada decision in 2004, the couple have now earned a moral victory that they hope will encourage others to carry on their cause.Yesterday, Monsanto agreed to pay the Schmeisers $660 to settle a small-claims court case they brought against the company for costs associated with removing the patented Roundup ...
More About: Victory , Claims , Battle , Grain , Farmer

Schmeiser settles for $660 from Monsanto
2008-03-21 15:13:00
By FBC staffPercy Schmeiser's latest legal fight against Monsanto Canada has ended with the Saskatchewan farmer settling for $660 and on the hook for the costs of filing his claim.Schmeiser was due to appear Wednesday at a provincial small claims court in Saskatoon, where he had filed a claim against Monsanto for the costs of clearing volunteer Roundup Ready canola that grew on a chem-fallow field in 2005.Schmeiser, on his web site, stated Wednesday he "believes this precedent-setting agreement ensures that farmers will be entitled to reimbursement when their fields become contaminated with unwanted Roundup Ready canola or any other unwanted (genetically modified) plants."However, while it's "pleased" Schmeiser approached the company and agreed to settle, Monsanto Canada found it "frustrating that he essentially accepted the same offer we put before him in 2005 at the time we visited with him and offered him solutions to address the presence of unexpected Roundup Ready canola volu...

Schmeiser gets cheque from Monsanto for small-claims case
2008-03-21 15:11:00
By Murray LyonsTheStarPhoenix.comWednesday, March 19, 2008Percy Schmeiser has spent the better part of 10 years battling Monsanto Canada Inc. in court. On Wednesday, he claimed another victory after the corporate agribusiness giant handed him a cheque for $660 to settle a small-claims case that dates back to 2005.Schmeiser says he found Roundup Ready canola plants growing on a fallow farm field that summer and filed a small-claims court case a year later to recover the money the crusading Bruno farmer says he paid to have someone remove the plants from his farm.Monsanto says the case could have been settled and the money paid a long time ago, but Schmeiser refused to sign a standard release.Besides the money, Schmeiser says it was also a victory for him that he was able to sign a non-standard release which still gives him the right to sue Monsanto again should canola with the Roundup Ready gene be found on that piece of land again.Schmeiser made global headlines in 1998 when he ende...
More About: Small , Case , Claims , Cheque

Rosacea is an overlooked skin condition
2008-03-21 15:10:00
Posted By W. Gifford JonesPosted 1 day agoWhat did former President Bill Clinton have to blush about? We all know the answer to that delicate question! Like Princess Diana, Rosie O'Donnell and the comedian W.C. Fields, he also suffered from Rosacea .April is designated Rosacea Month, in an effort to alert people to the warning signs of this condition and the importance of early treatment. Red may be the colour of love, but this is one flush people would prefer not to show.The general public and sometimes doctors, confuse rosacea with acne, seborrheic dermatitis or lupus. Fortunately, rosacea is not life-threatening, but the flushing episodes are socially embarrassing and in some instances their psychological impact can be devastating.Some patients shy away from social contacts when pustules appear on their face, conscious that this facial disfigurement makes them less attractive sexually. Or they believe their unsightly appearance will impede their career.It's estimated that about ...
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Chinese remedies can take away pain
2008-03-19 16:38:00
Chinese herbal remedies are becoming increasingly popular in the West. HILARIE STELFOX meets a practitioner from the Holme Valley, Stacey Ash, who now has a practice at her home in Dunford Road, Holmfirth, after years of studying for her qualificationsTREE BARK, tiny rosebuds, dandelions, gypsum and fungi are just a few of the many substances that make up a Chinese herbal pharmacy.Stacey Ash, acupuncturist and Chinese herbalist, has all these and more – over 200 jars of plant and mineral-derived remedies – in her Holmfirth dispensary.“And there are many, many more that are used,’’ she says.The herbs are labelled with both Mandarin Chinese and Latin names and form the basis of a system of medicine that dates back around 2,000 years.It’s a system that is becoming increasingly popular in this country, along with a general uptake in all forms of alternative or complementary therapies.Stacey, who qualified as an acupuncturist in the 1980s and is now also working as a Chinese ...
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Modern Medicine Versus Nature in Treating Cancer
2008-03-07 16:50:00
(NaturalNews) In contrast to at least 6000 years of the practice of natural medicine, Western medicine treats the body as a collection of parts instead of as a synergistic organism. When it comes to treating broken bones and injured body parts, mainstream Western medicine is unequaled. When this same approach is used to treat illness and disease - fixing or repairing the parts where the symptoms of underlying illnesses manifest themselves, modern medicine fails miserablyIn the instance of cancer, instead of addressing the causes of cancer - toxins, pathogens and a weakened immune system - we see instead treatments that either slash, burn or poison away the tumors and cancer cells, which further weakens an immune system cancer has already defeated and only worsens the conditions that led to cancer to begin with.Even if initially successful at getting rid of existing cancer cells and tumors, the end result is a weakened body which may have major organ damage and which is more suscepti...
More About: Nature , Medicine , Cancer , Versus , Modern

The Next Failure of Health Care Reform
2008-03-06 16:51:00
A major problem--if not the major problem--for many people living in the U.S. is the difficulty of accessing and paying for medical care when they are sick. For this reason, candidates in the presidential primaries of 2008--the Democrats more often than the Republicans--have been recounting stories about the health-related tragedies they have encountered in meetings with ordinary people around the country (an exercise conducted in the U.S. every four years, at presidential election time). These stories tell of the enormous difficulties and suffering faced by many people in their attempts to get the medical care they need. I have been around long enough--I was senior health advisor to Jesse Jackson in the Democratic primaries of 1984 and 1988--to know how frequently Democratic candidates, over the years, have referred to such cases. The only things that change are the names and faces in these human tragedies. Otherwise, the stories, year after year, are almost the same.In the Democra...
More About: Health , Health Care , Reform , Care , Failure

Consumer Group Opposes California Pharmaceutical Marketing Bill as Invasion
2008-03-05 16:40:00
By Frank D. RussoThe Consumer Federation of California has sent a stinging letter to the Senate Health Committee opposing SB 1096 (Calderon) as an invasion of patient privacy and interference with the doctor-patient privilege. It is scheduled to be heard by the committee on March 12, one week from today.Here is the letter:We regret that the Consumer Federation of California must oppose SB 1096 (Calderon).This bill raises significant privacy and health care concerns for patients. The bill would allow the sharing of a patient’s confidential medical information regarding prescription drugs among a pharmacy, third party corporations and pharmaceutical companies.SB 1096 would create an exception to California’s Medical Information Act, and allow sharing of confidential patient drug prescription information without a patient’s consent. The bill’s main backer, Adheris Inc., is a subsidiary of inVentiv Health Inc., a drug marketing company. Under SB 1096, drug stores would provide c...
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The power of the placebo
2008-03-04 17:03:00
Anti-depressants do not work, chorused British newspaper headlines last week. The truth is quite different. The research in question showed that new-generation drugs, such as Prozac and Seroxat, relieve depression very well – but so do dummy pills.The study, led by Irving Kirsch at the University of Hull, is the latest testament to the power of the placebo. Analysing the drug companies’ own clinical trial data, the researchers found that four widely-prescribed drugs improved patients’ score on the standard clinical test for depression by 9.6 points, while placebo pills gave a remarkable 7.8-point improvement.As the researchers said in the journal PLoS Medicine: “The response to placebo in these trials was exceptionally large.” This set the bar for demonstrating efficacy so high that – except for severely depressed patients – the difference between treated and placebo groups did not reach a “statistically significant” level.Prof Kirsch went on to say: “Given these...
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Bitter Pills: What You Need to Know About the Drugs You Take
2008-03-03 16:51:00
by Mary J. ShomonSeveral weeks ago, I wrote an article about how I had a particularly bad reaction to an antiobiotic, known as Tequin (gatifloxacin) that left me suffering dizziness, tingling in my hands and knees, pains in my legs, weakness in my arms and legs,difficulty swallowing and breathing, all within four days of starting the drug. After my airway started to swell in reaction to the drug, I was taken off it, and put on tranquilizers to calm down what appears to have been a violent central nervous system reaction to the drug, a member of the fluoroquinolone antibiotic family. The "quinolones" also include the now-famous Cipro (cirpofloxacin), and another popular antibiotic, Levaquin.In an effort to learn more about this reaction, I came upon a support forum for sufferers of bad reactions to the quinolone antibiotics, the Quinolone Antibiotics Adverse Reaction Forum, and that led me to the amazing book Bitter Pills : Inside the Hazardous World of Legal Drugs , by Stephen M. Frie...