Archives

Archive for September, 2012

a keynote address…

Jury Hears From Teen Boy’s Doc At Risperdal Trial LAW360 September 28, 2012 In a video deposition shown to jurors Friday, the doctor of a teenager claiming he grew breasts after taking the antipsychotic drug Risperdal said that the boy suffered from severe developmental and behavioral problems, and that he was unaware of possible side […]

started the ball rolling…

The American Civil War  was marked by fraud on all levels, both in the Union north and the Confederate south. During the war, unscrupulous contractors sold the Union Army decrepit horses and mules in ill health, faulty rifles and ammunition, and rancid rations and provisions, among other unscrupulous actions. In response, Congress passed the False […]

a sad tale…

Both Pharmagossip and Pharmalot are focusing on a report by Public Citizen, and it’s easy to see why. It’s about how governments, State and Federal, are finally recouping losses from fraud by the pharmaceutical industry. Here’s just a sampler. On the left graphs are the number of settlements, on the right, the sum of financial […]

a comfort to this old man…

A recent discussion thread explored the topic of clinical intuition based on a physician’s experience versus reliance on RTCs [Randomized Clinical Trials], the gold standard of evidence-based medicine. Right now, that’s a front burner issue, particularly in clinical psychiatry. Dr. David Healy’s recent book, Pharmageddon, is an eye-opener, and a useful resource for understanding the […]

if this isn’t racketeering…

Risperdal trial: Sales rep cites pressure from above Philadelphia Inquirer By David Sell September 25, 2012 A former Janssen Pharmaceuticals sales representative who was promoted because of his success in selling the antipsychotic drug Risperdal told a Philadelphia Common Pleas Court jury Monday that he and his team followed orders from the top of the […]

when does that go on trial?…

J&J Hid Risks Risperdal Makes Boys’ Breasts Grow: Lawyer Bloomberg News By Jef Feeley and Margaret Cronin Fisk September 24, 2012 Johnson & Johnson officials knew the antipsychotic drug Risperdal could cause boys to grow female breasts and hid those risks from doctors and patients, a lawyer for a Texas teen-ager suing the company told […]

take notice…

Recall that reliability has been measured as inter-rater reliability using kappa as the operative index by this formula: As we approach time for the DSM-5 to be ratified by the Trustees of the American Psychiatric Association, here are the results of the DSM-5 Field Trials as I’ve been able to piece them together for review: […]

something of value…

Sometimes, the best thing to do is get out of the way when someone comes along who knows what he’s talking about. Ben Goldacre is such a person… The drugs don’t work: a modern medical scandal The doctors prescribing the drugs don’t know they don’t do what they’re meant to. Nor do their patients. The […]

pilot error…

DSM-5 Heads to the Finish Line Clinical Psychiatric News By: MARY ELLEN SCHNEIDER September 20, 2012 The long-awaited fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, better known as the DSM-5, is set to be published next May, but critics continue to warn that the current proposals could lead to widespread misdiagnosis […]

mister in-between…

Philly judge: J&J’s Alex Gorsky does not have to testify Philadelphia Inquirer by David Sell September 20, 2012 A Philadelphia judge said Thursday that Johnson & Johnson chief executive officer Alex Gorsky can’t be called as a witness by a plaintiff in a lawsuit against the company related to its antipsychotic drug Risperdal. In a […]