“Health News Review and What’s Wrong (and Right) With the Media”

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HealthNewsReview.org founder Gary Schwitzer talks to New York Magazine on the media coverage of medical research. “We in journalism have to look in the mirror...

In Opioid Battle, Cherokee Want Their Day in Tribal Court

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From The New York Times: The opioid epidemic is wreaking havoc on Cherokee families and putting Cherokee children at risk. Now, the Cherokee Nation has...

“California Courts Step Up Oversight of Psychotropic Medication Use in Foster Care”

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The Mercury News reports that California’s judicial council is taking major steps to address the rampant use of psychiatric drugs in foster care. The...

“Another Study Finds Link Between Pharma Money and Brand-name Prescribing”

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New findings from Harvard Medical School reveal that Pharma industry payments to physicians in Massachusetts are associated with higher rates of prescribing brand-name drugs that treat...

Payment Disclosure Bill is a Good First Step, but More is Needed

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From The Globe and Mail: Ontario's newly proposed physician-payment disclosure law is an important first step in the direction of improved health care and increased...

Murphy’s Mental Health Bill a Threat to Civil Liberties

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In an Op-ed for the Times Union, Madeleine Ringwald explains how the Helping Families in Mental Health Crisis Act “would severely disable protection and advocacy organizations from protecting the civil, legal and human rights of people in mental health services.” “Whether you examine it through a scientific, civil rights or bottom-line lens, Murphy's bill should appall you,” she writes. “Any legislation that bolsters institutionalization at the cost of community-based services seeks not to help those with mental health needs, but help society find ways to hide, suppress and silence them.”

Failure to Report, Patients at Risk”

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"A STAT investigation finds that “Most research institutions — including leading universities and hospitals in addition to drug companies — routinely break a law that requires...

Over Ten Thousand Unfiled Claims Against Risperdal Over Breast Growth in Young Boys

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Johnson & Johnson is exposed to personal injury and product liability lawsuits over the failure to warn about Risperdal gynecomastia side effects in boys.

“Fears That Antipsychotic Drugs Being Used as ‘Chemical Cosh’ in Disability Care”

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An editorial in the Guardian discusses the fact that the number of people with intellectual or learning disabilities “who are being treated with psychotropic drugs far exceeds those with mental illness.” The authors of a new study examining the overuse of psychotropic drugs on people with learning disabilities, published this month in BMJ, argue: “If people without mental illness are given psychotropic drugs… it is probably to control their behavior.”

“Privacy Not Included: Federal Law Lags Way Behind New Health-Care Technology”

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“The federal privacy law known as HIPAA doesn’t cover home paternity tests, fitness trackers, or health apps. When a Florida woman complained after seeing...

Psych Rights Wins Legal Battle in Alaska

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On Friday, Psych Rights won a legal fight in Alaska Supreme Court reversing an order for an involuntary psychiatric evaluation. Opinion →

Pentagon Study Links Prescription Stimulants to Military PTSD Risk

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A new study suggests that service members who take stimulant medications to stay alert are five times more likely to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder, the LA Times reports. “Those who had been prescribed multiple stimulants and the biggest supplies of the drugs were the most likely to have PTSD.”

The Trump Administration Isn’t Taking on Health Care Waste

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From U.S. News: The Trump administration is not taking any actions to address the epidemic of waste, i.e. unnecessary tests and treatments, in the medical...

“Report From APPG for Prescribed Drug Dependence”

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James Davies, of the Council for Evidence-Based Psychiatry, issues his report from last week’s meeting in the UK Parliament concerning the connection between increased...

“Federal Judge Declines to Toss Paxil Suicide Case, Setting GSK up for September Trial”

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Wendy Dolin sued GSK after her husband committed suicide after taking a generic version of Paxil. The US District Court has declined GSK’s motions...

“Misuse Of ADHD Drugs By Young Adults Drives Rise In ER Visits”

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"It's no secret that stimulant medications such as Adderall that are prescribed to treat symptoms of ADHD are sometimes used as 'study drugs' aimed...

First Federal Zoloft Birth Defect Trial Scheduled

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In a bellwether case, plaintiffs allege that Pfizer did not adequately warn patients that Zoloft (sertraline) would cause birth defects. The case is scheduled in Federal Court in March, and the verdict will have significant implications for future suits.

More Lavish the Gifts to Doctors Means Costlier Drugs Prescribed

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From The New York Times: A new study found that when drug companies give gifts to doctors, the doctors prescribe higher quantities of — and more expensive —...

“Drug Overdoses Propel Rise in Mortality Rates of Young Whites”

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“The rising death rates for those young white adults, ages 25 to 34, make them the first generation since the Vietnam War years of the mid-1960s to experience higher death rates in early adulthood than the generation that preceded it,” the ‘Times reports.

Intensive Care Patients at High Risk for PTSD, Psychiatric Symptoms

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People who survive life-threatening illnesses in the intensive care unit (ICU) of a hospital are at high risk for depression and anxiety and nearly...

“Controversial ‘Female Viagra’ Hits the Market, New Questions Arise”

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Despite concerns about the drug’s necessity, effectiveness, and side-effects, Flibanserin (Addyi) has come to market as the first drug designed to increase sexual desire in women

Biotech Exploits a Loophole in a Federal Transparency Law

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From STAT: A small biotech company, AveXis, recently offered a $3,000 honorarium along with paid airfare and lodging to several experts to attend a so-called...

Throwback Thursday: The Daily Show on the Pharmaceutical Drug Epidemic

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On The Daily Show, Michael Che interviews MIA contributor Peter Gøtzsche and discovers that pharmaceutical companies and drug cartels have more in common than one might think.

Disclosing Corporate Funding is Not Nearly Enough

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From The Chronicle of Higher Education: A number of studies have shown the significant problems that arise from financial conflicts in research. Disclosure of researchers'...

“Direct-to-Consumer Advertising — Selling Drugs or Diseases?”

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With the American Medical Association (AMA) declaring its opposition to direct-to-consumer (DTC) drug advertising, Martha Rosenberg asks, did DTC increase the number of people who have "diseases"?