Author Archive
Supremes Say Strip Search of Student Uncalled For
June 30th, 2009. By Evelyn Pringle
The constitutional rights of 13-year-old Savana Redding were violated when school officials in Arizona conducted a strip-search based on a suspicion that she might be hiding drugs in her underwear, the Supreme Court ruled on June 25, 2009, in an 8 to 1 decision.
The suspect drugs that led to the search in this case were “prescription-strength ibuprofen and over-the-counter naproxen, common pain relievers equivalent to two Advil, or one Aleve,” the court noted in the opinion.
The search failed to uncover any pills.
“The issue here is whether a 13-year-old student’s Fourth Amendment right was violated when she was subjected to a search of her bra and underpants by school officials acting on reasonable suspicion that she had brought forbidden prescription and over-the-counter drugs to school,” the opinion states.
“Because there were no reasons to suspect the drugs presented a danger or were concealed in her underwear, we hold that the search did violate the Constitution,” the court wrote. Read the rest of this entry »
DEA Swamped With Calls Regarding Jackson’s Death
June 29th, 2009. By Evelyn Pringle
On June 27, 2009, the Drug Enforcement Agency issued a press release to members of the media titled: “DEA Responds to Large Number of Calls regarding Michael Jackson’s Death”.
The UK’s Sun newspaper claims Jackson was taking Demerol, Dilaudid, Vicodin, Xanax, Soma, Paxil, Zoloft and Prilosec.
“Due to the large amount of calls from the media regarding the death of Michael Jackson and questions regarding prescription drugs,” the DEA said in the press release, “the DEA has put information about prescription drug abuse and use on the front page of www.dea.gov for your use.”
The headline on the agency’s website for a May 2009, report reads: “Recent Report Confirms Dangers of Prescription Drug Abuse; Young Adults Hardest Hit”
The “National Prescription Drug Threat Assessment,” was prepared by the National Drug Intelligence Center in conjunction with the DEA. Read the rest of this entry »
Grassley Seeks More Info on Conflict of Interest Policies at Medical Schools
June 25th, 2009. By Evelyn Pringle
In a June 24, 2009 letter, Senator Chuck Grassley asked 23 medical schools for information about their policies for conflicts of interest and requirements for disclosure of financial relationships between faculty members and the pharmaceutical industry.
“I recently learned from an American Medical Student Association report, AMSA PharmFree Scorecard 2009, that your institution either had “no response” or “declined to submit policies” when asked to supply conflicts of interest policies,” he said in the letter.
Grassley asked the Universities to respond by no later than July 15, 2009.
Of the 149 schools asked, 126 provided information to the AMSA. The Scorecard 2009 was released on June 16, 2009. Thirty-five schools, or 23%, received an F. Seventeen got a D, 18 received a C, 36 were graded B, and only 9 schools received an A.
“There’s a lot of skepticism about financial relationships between doctors and drug companies,” Grassley said in a press release. “Disclosure of those ties would help to build confidence that there’s nothing to hide.”
“Requiring disclosure is a common sense reform based on the public dollars and public trust at stake in medical training, medical research and the practice of medicine,” he added. Read the rest of this entry »
Generation of Kids Hooked on Psych Drugs
June 23rd, 2009. By Evelyn Pringle
Campbell Brown anchors a daily prime-time news program on CNN. On June 17, 2009, in a segment of the program called the “Great Debate,” the question was, Ritalin, Prozac, Adderall, are we “pushing pills on our kids and raising a generation hooked on meds.”
Featured in the debate were, Kelly O’Meara, author of the book, “Psyched Out: How Psychiatry Sells Mental Illness and Pushes Pills that Kill,” and Dr Charles Sophy, a psychiatrist in private practice in Los Angeles, who serves as medical director of the LA County Department of Children and Family Services. They were each given 30 seconds for an opening statement.
“It’s a two-part problem,” O’Meara explained.
“It’s the diagnosis itself that’s not based in science or medicine,” she pointed out. “There is no objective test that you can give children or adults to prove that you actually have some sort of psychiatric abnormality.”
“And the second part, of course, is the drugging,” she said, “the prescription drugs that are doled out to treat these so-called disorders.” Read the rest of this entry »
Matrixx Expects Wave of New Zicam Lawsuits
June 19th, 2009. By Evelyn Pringle
Matrixx is preparing for a new wave of lawsuits from consumers alleging that certain Zicam products have caused anosmia, or loss of smell and taste, according to the June 19, 2009 Arizona Republic.
In early 2006, the company settled one round of 340 lawsuits for $12 million to avoid the legal costs of defending each suit, company officials told the Republic.
On June 16, 2009, the FDA warned the public to stop using Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel, Zicam Cold Remedy Gel Swabs, and Zicam Cold Remedy Swabs, Kids Size because they could cause “long-lasting or permanent” loss of smell.
The agency noted receiving 130 reports since 1999 from consumers and doctors. The FDA learned that Matrixx had received another 800 reports during an inspection of the company in May, and claims that Matrixx was required to turn them over to the FDA under a 2007 regulation.
The agency also sent Matrixx a warning letter saying these products cannot be marketed without FDA approval. “Companies have an obligation to the public to demonstrate to the FDA that their products are safe, particularly when there is evidence they may be causing serious adverse events, and they are marketed for minor, self-limiting conditions like the common cold,” said Deborah Autor, director of CDER’s Office of Compliance, in the advisory to the public.
“The FDA has asserted that the Company is in violation of its regulations by failing to file a new drug application for its Zicam Cold Remedy Nasal Gel and Zicam Cold Remedy Gel Swabs and that those products are misbranded under their regulations for failing to adequately warn of risks,” Matrixx said in a June 16, 2009 press release.
“The Company believes the FDA action is unwarranted and is in the process of determining its response, which may include removing these products from the marketplace,” Matrixx wrote.
“These products constituted approximately 40% of the Company’s net sales in 2009,” the release noted.
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