Prime Time Crime
War on Legal Drugs:
Follow The Money
Advocacy groups take in millions
WASHINGTON - Pharmaceutical companies gave at least $116M to patient advocacy groups in a single year, reveals a new database logging 12,000 donations from large publicly traded drugmakers to such organizations. (Epoch Times)
LONDON - The boss of a US pharmaceutical giant was accused of trying to
'blackmail' Theresa May
into buying a groundbreaking drug at an eye-watering annual cost of
$132K per patient. (Daily
Mail)
A study, which analyzed data from 522 trials involving 116,477 people, found 21 common anti-depressants were all more effective at reducing symptoms of acute depression than dummy pills. But it also showed big differences in how effective each drug is. (BBC)
LONDON - Britain's competition watchdog is accusing
Concordia,
a Canadian drug company of making tens of millions of dollars by
overcharging the British healthcare system and exploiting its patients.
(Global)
WINDSOR - A Superior Court judge
has approved a $2.375M class-action settlement for the 1,194 victims of
the diluted chemotherapy drug scandal, dashing the hopes of some
patients who objected that their $1,500 share is a slap in the face.
More than 70 of the 290 cancer patients given the drugs Windsor
Regional Hospital in 2012 and 2013 have since died. (PostMedia)
According to the WHO, each year 700,000 people die as a result of antibiotics-resistant bacteria. It's anticipated that, by 2050, 10M people will have died at the hands of these bacteria. (Global) MORE: Drug resistance through the back door .pdf UN meeting tackles threat Pharma industrial waste fueling rise of superbugs
YELLOWKNIFE - Seniors have the highest rate of hospitalization due to
narcotics poisoning of all age groups in the NWT, says a newly-released
government report. . (CBC)
Anticholinergics stop a chemical called acetylcholine from working properly in the nervous system, which can help ease gastrointestinal, respiratory or urinary symptoms, for example. Gravol, sleep aid Unisom, antidepressant Paxil and antipsychotic Zyprexa are among the drugs in this class. A full list of anticholinergics can be found here .pdf. (CTV)
RENNES - 1 person is
brain dead and 5 others are seriously ill after taking part in a drug
trial for Portuguese pharmaceutical firm
Bial at a clinic in NW
France. (Guardian UK)
MORE:
Drug trial goes wrong
Brain dead man dies
A court in Australia has ordered drug giant
Reckitt
Benckiser to stop selling some of its popular Nurofen painkiller
brands after finding tablets marketed for specific complaints such as
back pain or migraines contained exactly the same active ingredient.
(Guardian UK)
The accidental
drug overdose of a Nova Scotia man is shining a light on so-called
'research chemicals' that are making their way into the illicit drug
market. (CBC)
MORE:
'Research drugs'
MIAMI - Andrew Strempler has pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit mail fraud in connection with his role as owner and president of Mediplan Health Consulting Inc., a Canadian company, that also operated under the name RxNorth.com. (CBC) MORE: Arrested Andrew Strempler
TORONTO - In the battle for pharmaceutical dominance, this new tactic,
deployed in software used by doctors, has allowed brand-name companies
to capitalize on the moment a prescription is written.
The patient records are found in EMRs, or electronic medical
record software, owned by
Telus Health, a subsidiary of the telecom giant.
To drive business their way, brand-name drug companies have paid
Telus to digitally insert vouchers so that the prescription is filled
with their product instead of the lower-cost generic competitor that
pharmacists normally reach for.
(Toronto Star)
What get clicks? Words like 'breakthrough,' 'game changer' and 'lifesaver.' And that's how much of medical news is described. But when they took a closer look at the actual drugs, half were not yet approved as safe and effective, and some hadn't even been tried on humans. (CBC) PREVIOUS: Funding goes to PR campaigns Research output and the public health burden Ads disguised as news
DES MOINES - Investigators say former
Iowa State
University laboratory manager Dong-Pyou
Han has confessed to spiking samples of rabbit blood with human
antibodies to make an experimental HIV vaccine appear to have great
promise. (AP)
MORE:
Dong-Pyou
Han
THUNDER BAY - According to the Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre, about 30% of babies birthed at the hospital are affected by an opioid-based dependency during pregnancy. (Toronto Star)
NEW YORK - US drugmaker Pfizer and Ireland-based Allergan Plc formally announced that they were scrapping their $160B merger, marking a big win for President Barack Obama who has been pushing to curb tax-slashing 'inversion' deals. The announcement followed the unveiling of new US Treasury rules aimed at curbing such deals. (Reuters)
OTTAWA - The study from the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) ranks Canada as the fourth-highest spender on pharmaceuticals among 29 countries when measured by population. (Globe & Mail) REPORT: OECD health statistics 2015 Health bill $219B+ Canadian Institute for Health Information National Health Expenditure Trends, 1975-2015 .pdf Trans-Pacific Partnership (TPP)
Charged for delivering packages
SAN FRANCISCO - US federal authorities charged
FedEx
with assisting illegal pharmacies by knowingly delivering painkillers
and dangerous drugs to customers without prescriptions.
(AP)
MORE:
FedEx's don't shoot the messenger gamble
More than 23M Canadians depend on private insurance to pay for their prescription drugs. Last year, $10.1B in claims were paid out by private insurers, a significant chunk of the country’s $28B prescription drug bill. (Globe & Mail) REPORT: CLHIA report on prescription drug policy .pdf
TORONTO - The recall of a batch of Alesse birth control pills sold past their expiry date has raised questions about whether it's safe to take over-the-counter and prescription medications beyond their best-before marker - and just how long past? (CP) COMMENT: We all are at risk of something
Half of medicines 'useless'
PARIS - Half of all medicines sold in France are either useless or dangerous, according to a book authored by two eminent French medical experts. (AFP)
Canada had the second-highest medication costs for common conditions such as high blood pressure and cholesterol in 2015 compared to nine other affluent countries with universal health-care systems, suggests a new study calling for a national drug plan to lower prices. (CP)
Prescription drugs in 10 high-income countries
Drug maker suesExplosion of high priced drugs
US SC rules 'pay-for-delay' deals can face suits
Pharmacare is not unaffordable
Residents skip meds because of costs
Public priorities for Ontario's Health System
Province $5.5 M to enforce smoke-free plan
Medicare Rx cost estimate zooms
Drugstores sue makers over prices
Drug costs soar before 'discount'
Access to drugs is a 'postal cored lottery'
Comparison of prescription drug plans
We have to overcharge or we can't compete
Ontario's 25% makes 50% look bad
Ontario's ruinous Medicare habit
Part 1: Cost of Cancer drugs .pdf
Part 2: Who is bearing the cost? .pdf
Ruling rattles Canada Health Care
Medical bills make up half of bankruptcies
NEW YORK - Notorious 'pharma bro' Martin Shkreli, 34, ended up getting sentenced to 7 years in prison for federal fraud charges related to hedge funds and a drug company that he once ran. (CNBC)
Most despised man in the world
Profit in US health care system
$750 drug recreated by students for $2
Cost in India under 10 cents
per pill
Backlash against the most hated
Soliris, Alexion's orphan drug
Private label generic drugs ban
Unlocking cache of trade secrets
LONDON - Patients should be warned about the dangers of chemotherapy after research showed that cancer drugs are killing up to 50% of patients in some hospitals. (Telegraph UK)
TORONTO - Costco is under investigation by an Ontario government forensic team that specializes in 'allegations of wrongdoing against government' after the retail giant received $1.2M in potentially illegal payments from a generic drugmaker. (CBC)
A third of malaria drugs used around the world to stem the spread of the disease are counterfeit, data suggests. Experts say The Lancet Infectious Diseases research is a "wake-up call". (BBC)
C difficle deaths
VICTORIA - BC's health minister insists a Vancouver-area hospital is safe despite concerns raised by medical staff and an infectious disease expert about 84 bacteria-related deaths at the hospital since 2009.
Negligence to blame doctors allege
TORONTO - A study of 604 long-term-care homes in Ontario found that anywhere from 0 to 67% of residents over the age of 65 are treated with antipsychotics after a diagnosis of psychosis, dementia or other conditions that can leave them highly agitated. (Globe & Mail)
TORONTO - The 2003 article concluded there was no correlation between long-term use of Risperdal and an increased risk of certain side-effects. The listed authors included respected experts in the pediatric field - Toronto's Dr. Denis Daneman and 2 US doctors - and 3 employees from Janssen, which makes Risperdal. (Toronto Star)
Most published research findings are false
Why does Pharma bury half of its studies
Scans produce differing radiation doses
TORONTO - The agency (CFPC) that certifies Canada's family doctors says it will keep taking drug-industry money to pay for its education programs despite commissioning a report on Big Pharma's influence, which it then kept under wraps for 2 years. (PostMedia)
CFPC's relationship with the industry .pdf
Drug maker
linked to Motherisk
Legally drugging kids
Hospice turn away dying patient
Canadian Medical Association Journal
More profit than progress in research
Motor Vehicle Accidental Deaths
Adult antidepressants suspected
FDA may call for antidepressant warning
Clinical drug trials 'distorted'
FDA mum on suicidal side effects
Youths risk death in drug abuse trend
Teens use medicines to get high
LONDON - The UK has spent $794M on Tamiflu, which is stockpiled by governments globally to prepare for flu pandemics. The Cochrane Collaboration claimed the drug did not prevent the spread of flu or reduce dangerous complications, and only slightly helped symptoms. (BBC)
Flu vaccine
offered little or no protection
H7N9,
Flu passes from birds to humans
Death toll predictions slashed
20,000 seasonal flu deaths in UK
Efforts to beat malaria may backfire
France sells off surplus vaccine
Effectiveness of influenza vaccine
WHO experts linked to drug companies
WHO advisors had links to drug companies
Health bosses accused of flu-mongering
800 seasonal flu deaths a week
Big drop in new swine flu cases
Authorities were warned of killer drug
Oink is proving to be far worse
WHO contradicts UK Tamiflu policy
Africa Malaria day- action or bombast?
WASHINGTON - The battle over healthcare entered a new, more frenzied stage, as lawmakers and powerful interest groups jockeyed for advantage now that most believe some form of an overhaul will ultimately be signed into law. (LA Times)
Lobbyist’s gets a seat at trough
ST LOUIS - A jury on awarded nearly $4.7B in total damages to 22 women
and their families after they claimed asbestos in Johnson & Johnson
talcum powder contributed to their ovarian cancer in the first case
against the company that focused on asbestos in the powder.
(AP)
Risperidone
Chapter 2
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List of pharmaceutical companies
Lawsuit Margaret Hamburg FDA RICO
Securities fraud .pdf
Lawsuit .pdf
Toxic drugs and 'research tax'
SCOTUS 10-779 .pdf
SCOTUS 09-993 .pdf
Pfizer faulted over drug trials in Nigeria
Pfizer withdraws Bextra from market
Illegal drug marketing admitted
Pfizer: Celebrex poses heart risk
Nigeria buys baby poison antidote
Report: Vioxx linked to thousands of deaths
Center for Science in the Public Interest
Another shoe drops in faked studies
Court told of plot to destroy drug critics
Doctors signed Merck's Vioxx studies
Drug research spending falls short
OTTAWA - Brand-name drug makers spent $1.2B or 8.7% of their sales on research and development, marking the fifth consecutive year that the industry has failed to meet the 10%-of-sales ratio pledged when patent rules were strengthened in 1987.
According to Public Citizen the industry's advertising costs rose from $791 million in 1996 to $2.5 billion in 2001.
Company - Percent of Revenues Spent on Marketing/ Advertising/ Administration
Abbott Laboratories 23%
Allergan 42%
Bristol-Myers Squibb 27%
Eli Lilly and Co. 30%
Merck 13%
Pfizer 35%
Schering-Plough 36%
Wyeth 37%
2.4B lack sanitation facilities
UN - Some 2.4B people - 1 out of every 3 inhabitants of the planet - still have no access to sanitation facilities, the WHO and UNICEF said. (EFE)
LONDON - Drug company executives have been secretly recorded boasting that they are selling regulated prescription drugs that cost “pennies” for hundreds of pounds because NHS price controls are so weak. (Telegraph UK)
CQC publishes report on inspections
Drug giants accused over doctors' perks
OTTAWA - Health Canada will make public information it has kept secret regarding serious, sometimes fatal side-effects suspected to have been caused by unapproved 'off-label' prescriptions. (Toronto Star) PREVIOUS: Dangers kept secret Red flagged drugs Drug reviews stay secret
Testing rules brokenOTTAWA - A powerful mood-altering medication with potentially life-threatening side effects was for years being prescribed in Canadian prisons for unapproved purposes. (CBC) MORE: 60% of female inmates on psychiatric meds Meds prescribed by doctors, not government Uses of meds soaring at nursing homes
TORONTO - Calgene Corp of Summit, NJ, agreed to permanently lower the prices it charges for Thalomid. The offer is the result of a review of the product undertaken by the Patented Medicine Prices Review Board, an economic tribunal set up by the federal government. (CP)
Symptom checkers frequently wrong
In an audit
that is believed to be the first of its kind, Harvard Medical School
researchers have tested 23 online 'symptom checkers' and found that,
though the programs varied widely in accuracy of diagnoses and triage
advice, as a whole they were astonishingly inaccurate.
(Washington Post)
TORONTO - State-of-the-art handwashing sinks installed in the intensive care unit and some patient rooms in Toronto's Mount Sinai Hospital actually became the reservoir of a pesky drug-resistant bug that infected or colonized 66 patients from the fall of 2006 to the spring of 2011. (CP)
OTTAWA - Health Canada has found such serious violations at two dozen drug facilities that it declared the companies - makers of everything from cancer treatments and radioactive compounds to over-the-counter medications - 'non-compliant' with the law. (Toronto Star)
VANCOUVER - The lawsuit was brought by Michael Miller against Merck Frosst Canada, makers of Propecia and Proscar, two drugs that contain the medication finasteride. (CP)
OTTAWA - Health Canada is warning that the cancer drug Avastin has been linked in rare cases to necrotizing fasciitis, the so-called flesh eating disease. (CP) necrotizing fasciitis
HELENA - An indictment filed in US District Court in Montana charges Canada Drugs Ltd. and its affiliates in the UK and Barbados with smuggling, money laundering and conspiracy. (AP)
PARIS - The amphetamine derivative Mediator was marketed to overweight diabetics but often prescribed to healthy women as an appetite suppressant when t (Guardian UK)
20% of human genes have been patented
A new study shows that 20% of human genes have been patented in the US, primarily by private firms and universities. (National Geographic)
Deaths linked to birth control
VANCOUVER - At least 23 Canadian women who were taking two of the most commonly prescribed birth control pills in the world have died. (CBC)
DEKALB COUNTY
-
CDC whistleblower Dr. William Thompson has, after a week of silence
since his
role in manipulating data for a CDC study came to light, issued a
press release via his attorney clarifying his position.
(Epoch Times)
'Bio-Identical' hormone claims
WASHINGTON - US health officials warned 7 pharmacy operators that their claims about the safety and effectiveness of "'bio-identical" hormones were false, misleading and not supported by medical evidence. (Reuters)
Known as ‘sizzurp’, the drink’s main ingredient is prescription-strength cough syrup, containing codeine and promethazine, that’s mixed with fruit juice or soda. (CTV) MORE: Purple drank
Air travel 'spreading deadly diseases'
UN - People are at greater risk of contracting potentially lethal infectious diseases because of the boom in international air travel, the World Health Organisation (WHO) has warned. MORE: WHO predicts more global epidemics
An anti-malarial drug, called mefloquine or Lariam, has been associated with psychiatric and physical side-effects that prompted the US military to withdraw it from general use in 2009, but the Canadian Forces continue to prescribe it to soldiers. (CBC)
Entitled get preferred treatment
Politicians and top bureaucrats from provinces across the country have better access to cancer drugs and treatment than their constituents, according to Cancer Advocacy Coalition Canada. (QMI) Report card on cancer in Canada .pdf
The American Psychiatric Association has published its “Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders." No other major branch of medicine has such a single text, with so much power over people’s lives. And that is worrying. (Economist)
Psychologists attack psychiatrists
Most doctors accept freebies
WASHINGTON - Four out of five doctors surveyed in the United States said they let drug and device makers buy them food and drinks despite recent efforts to tighten ethics rules and avoid conflicts of interest.
Free drug samples go to wealthy
WASHINGTON - About two-thirds of Food and Drug Administration scientists are less than fully confident in the agency's monitoring of the safety of prescription drugs now being sold, according to an FDA internal survey. (CBS)
Claritin maker coughs up $346M
A Review of 2004's drug controversies
FDA 'incapable of protecting America'
Researchers mum on financial interests
US bans key Indian drug imports
WASHINGTON - The United States Food and Drug Administration (FDA) says it has banned the import of more than 30 generic drugs made by Indian drug firm Ranbaxy. (BBC)
US-India war over pharmaceuticals
Harmful drugs in River
Montreal's waste-water treatment plant in Rivière des Prairies is treating an average of 32 square metres of waste water a second before releasing it into the St. Lawrence River.
Threat of world pandemic over
A quarter of a century after the outbreak of AIDS, the World Health Organization (WHO) has accepted that the threat of a global heterosexual pandemic has disappeared.
HIV patients live years after diagnosis
No 'rational discussion'
AIDS drugs fiasco a tale of red tape
Lost in red tape after the headlines
Canadian HIV Vaccine Initiative
AIDS cases drop, but due to revised data
Suit over Aids drug price hike