How big Pharma’s Lust for Profit Harms Their Customers
From AlterNet: The increasing pace at which the FDA is approving new drugs can leadĀ to significant risks to patient safety.Ā Drugs that once would have...
I do Hate to Tell you This, but…
In this commentaryĀ for In the Pipeline, Derek Lowe highlights the results from a recent FDA report showing that the vast majority of all drugs...
Trials Comparing Treatments for Depression Favor Pharmacotherapy when Statisticians Involved
A meta-analysis looks at the effects of researcher background on study findings for trials comparing pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy for depression.
Cancer Drug Offers a Cautionary Tale of Deregulating the FDA
To illustrate the dangers of Trump's plans to deregulate the FDA, Susan Perry from MinnPostĀ providesĀ a cautionary tale about Tarceva, a drug approved by the...
Trump Wants to Blow up the FDA
From STAT:Ā President Trump plans to decrease regulations on the Food and Drug Administration. Medical experts and healthcare professionals have expressed concerns thatĀ this could expose...
New Medications Fail to Show Efficacy for Alzheimerās Disease
Three phase III clinical trials assessing the efficacy of Lundbeckās investigational drug idalopirdine for Alzheimerās disease have failed
Youngest Children in Class More Likely to get āADHDā Drugs
The researchers suggest that developmental immaturity is mislabelled as a mental disorder and unnecessarily treated with stimulant medication
Physicians Underestimate Harms and Overestimate Benefits of Treatment
A new study analyzed over 13,000 doctors and found that physicians had a poor understanding of risks and benefits in every field, including psychopharmaceutical prescription, to CT scans, and cancer screening.
Children with ‘ADHD’ Commonly Prescribed Antipsychotics
Despite little evidence for benefit, and substantial risk of harm, antipsychotics are commonly prescribed to children diagnosed with ADHD
Researcher Acknowledges His Mistakes in Understanding Schizophrenia
Sir Robin Murray, a professor at the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology, and Neuroscience in London, states that he ignored social factors that contribute to āschizophreniaā for too long. He also reports that he neglected the negative effects antipsychotic medication has on the brain.
Many Patient Advocacy Organizations Are Funded By Industry
New research investigates the financial conflicts of interest (FCOI) of patient advocacy organizations (PAOs) in the United States.
Brain Scans Cannot Differentiate Between Mental Health Conditions
A new study analyzing over 21,000 participants found that differences in activation of brain regions in different psychological ādisordersā may have been overestimated, and confirms that there is still no brain scan capable of diagnosing a mental health concern.
BPS Releases Review of Alternatives to Antipsychotics
BPS releases report encouraging behavioral interventions for people with dementia, rather than antipsychotics
Treating Metabolic Conditions May Resolve Some Depressive Symptoms
New research suggests that treatable metabolic abnormalities underlie some treatment-resistant cases of depressionāand treating the metabolic condition has the possibility of dramatically reducing depressive symptoms
Medical Interventions Are Overused Worldwide
Lack of āright careā causes physical, psychological and financial harm to patients
“Whitewashing a Black Box Warning: The Chantix Story That Didnāt get Told”
"The decision to remove the Chantix black box warning had its roots in a study known as the EAGLES trial, which was mandated by...
Industry Funded Trials Favor Drugs Over Psychotherapy
The researchers conclude that industry funding appears to bias studies towards pharmacotherapy over psychotherapy for the treatment of depression.
ā21st Century Cures Bill Would Weaken Requirements for Disclosing Industry Tiesā
Ed Silverman reports for STAT that a provision tucked into the 21st Century Cares legislation exempts companies from reporting payments made to doctors, journals,...
āFor One Condition, the Drugs Came Before the Disorderā
An investigative report in the Milwaukee-Wisconsin Journal Sentinel explores the pharmaceutical industries involvement in theĀ creation of the āmental illnessā known as Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder...
How ‘Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder’ was Created by Pharma
For MinnPost, Susan Perry discusses that the pharmaceutical industry played in the creation of the āmental disorderā known as premenstrual dysphoric disorder or PMDD....
Review Questions Long Term Use of Antipsychotics
Patients who recover from a single episode of psychosis are often prescribed antipsychotics long-term, despite a lack of evidence for this practice
Experts Raise Alarm on Influence of Medical Device Salespeople
From Medscape: āDespite their role, device reps have received little scrutiny, in sharp contrast to drug salespeople, whose role has been the subject of...
“A Frenzy Of Lobbying On 21st Century Cures”
Kaiser Health News and NPR report on the immense lobbying effort aimed at passing the "21st Century Cures" Act which would fast-track FDA approval...
Safety Analysis Weighs Harms and Benefits of Antipsychotic Drugs
The researchers find that the drug effects for reducing psychosis are small and that treatment failure and severe side effects are common.
Study Finds Parents Need More Support to Identify PTSD in Children
A new study, published in The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry, investigates the presence of posttraumatic stress symptomatology in children involved in motor vehicle collisions...
