Drug companies that manage the studies can manage the message Posted by Rob at 08/24/06 01:08 PM

Merck released a portion of the study on the drug Arcoxia. It's a reminder of the power drug companies have to manage the news when they pay for the clinical trials.

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NY Times examines drug company ties to tax-exempt charities Posted by Rob at 06/28/06 10:47 AM

The NY Times raises more questions about the role of drug company money making its way into tax-exempt charities typically set up to promote patient education or research.

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Great summary of the past couple years of prescription drug disasters Posted by Rob at 05/24/06 09:43 AM

Dr. Marcia Angell, who wrote "The Truth About Drug Companies," has written an essay in the NY Review of Books that looks at the major books that have appeared over the last couple of years examining the failure of the prescription drug marketplace.

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Vioxx -- CV problems after 4 months, or 18? Posted by Rob at 05/22/06 01:35 PM

Last week, experts announced that new data from Vioxx' maker, Merck, indicated that increases in possible stroke and heart attacks may occur as early as four weeks on the drug, instead of 18 months as previous studies have shown.

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Drug Maker Issues Warning on Anti-Depressant Posted by Rob at 05/12/06 02:20 PM

In a letter to doctors, GlaxoSmithKline announced that its antidepressant Paxil may increase suicide attempts in young adults. This is likely welcome news for the many activists who have been working to strenghten oversight and warn the public about such dangers.

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More news on Celebrex -- not making this stuff up Posted by Rob at 04/29/06 06:39 PM

The NY Times reports that Pfizer is starting up print ads for Celebrex after more than a year.

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Two News Reports Make Me Go "Humm?" Posted by Rob at 04/21/06 03:34 PM

Just one year after the FDA issued a warning about heart risks associated with the drug Celebrex -- and on the same day another jury made a big award against Merck for the drug Vioxx -- Pfizer announces sales of Celebrex are up 19 percent.

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Shocking News Part II: Drug Studies Choose Study Sponsor's Drugs Posted by Rob at 04/12/06 01:19 PM

Unfortunately, I'm not feeling particularly shocked to learn about a new analysis showing that, in head-to-head trials of drugs, the studies conclude that the best drug happens to be the drug made by the study's sponsor. The findings again raise the question of whether we can count on drug companies to provide physicians, the public, or even the FDA with unbiased information when the financial success of their medicine is at stake.

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Doctor sues Merck for Vioxx after heart attack Posted by Rob at 04/02/06 10:31 AM

A story on Bloomberg.com spotlights how a doctor's personal experience with adverse side effects opened his eyes to the problems of drug company marketing.

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Guinea Pigs in a Giant Marketing Experiment Posted by Rob at 03/24/06 07:01 PM

On February 9, an advisory committee of the FDA recommended a black box warning for on stimulants used to treat attention deficit disorder, citing heart dangers particularly for adults. Now, there's more news with some conflicting recommendations from an FDA panel.

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