Recent Project News
This past January, Dr. Fugh-Berman and Tom Sherman PhD wrote about Food and Chemical Toxicology's eventual retraction of a study showing that a combination of genetically-modified foods (GMOs) and the herbicide RoundUp caused cancer and early death in rats. Many of the study's vocal critics had undisclosed financial relationships with Monsanto, which makes both RoundUp and GMOs.
Back in 1992, the Annals of Internal Medicine published an article showing that pharmaceutical ads were sometimes inaccurate; advertising plummeted and the Annals co-editors Suzanne and Robert Fletcher were cold-shouldered into resigning their positions. Calling for retractions appears to be a new tactic for bullying journals. At risk are researcher reputations, scientific independence, and patient care.
This open letter supports BMJ and Godlee, and sends an important message that we stand by journals' scientifically based interpretations of data. Please sign the letter — and send it to others to sign as well.
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News Round-Up
(for more, please follow @pharmed_out on Twitter!)
April 13-16: The Denver Post: "Prescription Kids" series http://www.denverpost.com/fostercare/
April 23: USC Annenberg's Reporting on Health: "Q&A: The Denver Post Spotlights Psychotropic Drug Use among Foster Kids" http://www.reportingonhealth.org/2014/04/22/denver-post-spotlights-psychotropic-drug-use-among-foster-kids
May 5: Kaiser Health News: "Who Should Get Pricey Hepatitis C Drugs?" http://www.kaiserhealthnews.org/Stories/2014/May/05/sovaldi-who-should-get-pricey-drug.aspx
May 5: The New Yorker: "Prescription for Disaster: The Heartland's Pain-Pills Problem" http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2014/05/05/140505fa_fact_aviv
May 6: Wall Street Journal: "Q&A: The Great Pharmaceutical Garage Sale of 2014" http://blogs.wsj.com/corporate-intelligence/2014/05/06/qa-the-great-pharmaceutical-garage-sale-of-2014/
May 9: PharmaGossip: "Botox Victim Wins $18 Million" http://pharmagossip.blogspot.com/2014/05/botox-victim-wins-18-million.html
May 10: NPR: "When A Cholesterol Test Becomes A Vice Instead Of A Virtue" http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/05/07/310444151/when-a-cholesterol-test-becomes-a-vice-instead-of-a-virtue
May 13: U.S. News and World Report: "Osteoporosis Drugs' Long-Term Use Needs More Research: FDA" http://health.usnews.com/health-news/articles/2014/05/13/osteoporosis-drugs-long-term-use-needs-more-research-fda
May 13: The New York Times: "Doubts Raised About Off-Label Use of Subsys, a Strong Painkiller" http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/business/doubts-raised-about-off-label-use-of-subsys-a-strong-painkiller.html
May 14: Forbes: "Health Insurance Giants To Unveil Price Information In 2015" http://www.forbes.com/sites/brucejapsen/2014/05/14/health-insurance-giants-to-unveil-price-information-in-2015/
May 14: The New York Times: "Looking For the Final Word on Treatment" http://www.nytimes.com/2014/05/14/health/looking-for-the-final-word-on-treatment.html
May 14: Business Insider: Antidepressant Use Has Exploded Since 1988" http://www.businessinsider.com/antidepressants-usage-quadrupled-since-1988-2014-5
May 17: The Huffington Post: "10,000 Young Toddlers Are on Stimulant Drugs for ADHD" http://www.huffingtonpost.com/allen-frances/adhd-toddler-diagnosis_b_5343766.html
May 19: Orlando Sentinel: "Brevard oncologist loses $89M Medicare fraud judgment" http://www.orlandosentinel.com/business/blog/brinkmann-on-business/os-brevard-oncologist-loses-89m-medicare-fraud-judgment-20140519,0,5440728.post
May 19: The Daily Beast: "Why Giving Adderall to Toddlers Is So Completely, Utterly Wrong" http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/05/19/why-giving-adderall-to-toddlers-is-so-completely-utterly-wrong.html
May 19: Reuters: "GSK dodged millions in China drug tax scam: state media" http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/05/19/us-gsk-china-idUSBREA4I06D20140519
May 20: NPR: "Following Abuses, Medicare Tightens Reins On Its Drug Program" http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2014/05/20/314227055/following-abuses-medicare-tightens-reins-on-its-drug-program
May 20: Regulatory Focus: "FDA Warning Letter to Sun Pharma Finds Trash Bags of Data and Secret Studies" http://www.raps.org/focus-online/news/news-article-view/article/4998/fda-warning-letter-to-sun-pharma-finds-trash-bags-of-data-and-secret-studies.aspx
May 22: MedPage Today: "On Conflicts of Interest, Stossel: What, Me Worry?" http://www.medpagetoday.com/Blogs/IvanToday/45942
May 22: MedPage Today: "Medicaid Directors Question Need for $1,000 HCV Pill" http://www.medpagetoday.com/InfectiousDisease/Hepatitis/45944
May 23: Science: "A Lonely Crusade" http://www.sciencemag.org/content/344/6186/793.full
May 25: Tech Times: "Which doctors charge Medicare the most for your routine visits? You'll be surprised to know" http://www.techtimes.com/articles/7466/20140525/which-doctors-charge-medicare-the-most-for-your-routine-visits-youll-be-surprised-to-know.htm
May 26: ABC Australia: "Johnson & Johnson 'failed to take action' on defective hip implants" http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-05-26/four-corners-hip-implants/5477332
May 29: PharmaGossip: "Medtronic pay up: Los Angeles Attorney Mychal Wilson Wins Another Fortune 500 Whistleblower Case" http://pharmagossip.blogspot.com/2014/05/medtronic-pay-up.html
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Check These Out!
"What Evidence is Essential for New Medical Products? Implications for Patients and Health Policy", an event highlighting the public health implications of medical product regulation criteria, will take place June 13th at the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Register for free here.
ProPublica's recently launched Treatment Tracker enables you to easily compare physicians' practice patterns.
Did you know about half of clinical trial data on drugs has never been published? The AllTrials campaign continues to try to change this and release crucial treatment information. Watch their new video and sign the petition here.
Next time someone suggests a correlation indicates causation, just direct them to this website.