Most of the doctors in question said that they used vitamins and headache pills, but some also prescribed antibiotics and sedatives. The study says that in most cases the doctors described these prescriptions to patients as “a medicine not typically used for your condition but might benefit you."

From the NYT:

Dr. William Schreiber, an internist in Louisville, Ky., at first said in an interview that he did not believe the survey’s results, because, he said, few doctors he knows routinely prescribe placebos.

But when asked how he treated fibromyalgia or other conditions that many doctors suspect are largely psychosomatic, Dr. Schreiber changed his mind. “The problem is that most of those people are very difficult patients, and it’s a whole lot easier to give them something like a big dose of Aleve,” he said. “Is that a placebo treatment? Depending on how you define it, I guess it is.”

But antibiotics and sedatives are not placebos, he said.

Of course, placebos have shown to be effective. The NYT says that 30 percent to 40 percent of depressed patients who are given placebos get better, which is almost as good as the results from real anti-depressants.

Half of Doctors Routinely Prescribe Placebos [NYT]
(Photo: Getty)

"Parents should know that there is less evidence than ever to support the use of over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for young children," said Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Baltimore's health commissioner. "There is nothing that is holding the FDA back from asking for a voluntary recall now of products marketed to kids under 6."

"FDA urged to recall cold medicines for youngsters" [Associated Press]
(Photo: Getty Images)

When the drug program began in 2006, Humana's premiums were among the cheapest. Humana, Mr. Noland said, has provided the most cumulative value for its drug-plan members, saving them an average of $4,900 on drug costs during that time and that the premiums are still in line with rivals.

The drug plans are heavily subsidized by the federal government and are offered through private insurance companies. Insurers will begin advertising their plans Oct. 1, and the six-week enrollment period starts in mid-November.

It's unclear how the price increases will affect the market. Medicare beneficiaries tend to select a plan and stay with it, and the market is highly concentrated.

"Medicare Drug Premium on Rise" [Wall Street Journal]
(Photo: Getty)

The substances detected in the latest tests mirrored those cited in the earlier AP report.

Chicago, for example, found a cholesterol medication and a nicotine derivative. Many cities found the anti-convulsant carbamazepine. Officials in one of those communities, Colorado Springs, say they detected five pharmaceuticals in all, including a tranquilizer and a hormone.

"This is obviously an emerging issue and after the AP stories came out we felt it was the responsible thing for us to do, as a utility, to find out where we stand. We believe that at these levels, based on current science, that the water is completely safe for our customers," said Colorado Springs spokesman Steve Berry. "We don't want to create unnecessary alarm, but at the same time we have a responsibility as a municipal utility to communicate with our customers and let them know."

Of the twenty-seven municipalities to test their water supply, seventeen returned positive results. The water in Boston, Phoenix and Seattle all turned up crystal-clear.

What about the country's largest water provider, New York City?

The City Council called for an urgent-sounding emergency meeting in April to order the Department of Environmental Protection to test the city's water supply. In response, the D.E.P. declared: "the testing of finished tap water is not warranted at this time."

Drugs affect more drinking water [AP]
PREVIOUSLY: AP: 41 Million Americans Drink Water Contaminated With Antibiotics, Anti-Convulsants, Mood Stabilizers, And Sex Hormones
(Photo: mikelens)

"Creepy Ads" [Weirdomatic via Very Short List]

The first list is a bare-bones compilation naming 20 medications and the potential issue for each. It provides no indication of how widespread or serious the problems might be, leading some consumer advocates to question its usefulness, and prompting industry worries that skittish patients might stop taking a useful medication if they see it listed.

Food and Drug Administration officials said they are trying to walk a fine line in being more open to the public while avoiding needless scares. Congress, in a drug safety bill passed last year, ordered the agency to post quarterly listings of medications under investigation.

"My message to patients is this: Don't stop taking your medicine," said Dr. Janet Woodcock, who heads the FDA's Center for Drug Evaluation and Research. "If your doctor has prescribed a drug that appears on this list, you should continue taking it unless your doctor advises you differently."

Google proficiency obviously doesn't confer a M.D., but that doesn't stop some consumers from freaking out at the first sign of trouble. With that in mind, the FDA issued its list with this crystal-clear caveat:

The appearance of a drug on this list does not mean that FDA has concluded that the drug has the listed risk, or that FDA has identified a causal relationship between the drug and the listed risk. It is on the list only because FDA has identified a potential safety issue.

Potential Signals of Serious Risks/New Safety Information Identified by the Adverse Event Reporting System (AERS) [FDA]
FDA posts its first online list of drugs under investigation for safety problems [AP]

"When we did testing with consumers, what we found out was John really resonated with them," said Jim Sage, senior director and leader of the Lipitor marketing team at Pfizer.

The Wall Street Journal describes the commercial as "visually similar to some of the Jarvik ads, in that it shows Mr. Erlendson in an outdoorsy setting, biking and picnicking by the water with his wife and son — a notable ad with Mr. Jarvik showed a body double rowing a racing scull across a lake."

Rather than impress you with his resume (John is actually a talent agent, if you must know), the new Lipitor pitchman encourages you to be smarter than he was. Silly, John. He tried to control his cholesterol with diet and exercise. What was he thinking?:

"Talk about a wake-up call. I had a heart attack at 57," Mr. Erlendson says in the commercial's opening, in which he's filmed in close-up and black-and-white. "My doctor told me I should have been doing more for my high cholesterol. What was I thinking? But now I trust my heart to Lipitor."

Pfizer Brings Back Lipitor Ads — Without Robert Jarvik [WSJ Health Blog]
Pfizer Drops Celebrity Pitch in New Lipitor Spots [WSJ via Gawker]

"We do not agree with the FAA's [latest] findings and characterizations of American's action in these cases," the airline said in a statement. "We believe the proposed penalties are excessive."

The FAA defended the fine in a statement of its own:
"The FAA believes the large total amount of the fine for these violations is appropriate because American Airlines was aware that appropriate repairs were needed, and instead deferred maintenance."

As for the drug testing issue, the FAA wants to fine AA $1.7 million for warning its employees ahead of time when they were scheduled to be tested. The tests are supposed to be unannounced.

The FAA proposed $7.1 million in fines against American for violations that included:

•$4.4 million for improperly deferring maintenance in December

•$1.7 million for problems with its drug- and alcohol-testing program

•$1 million for operating planes without properly inspecting the emergency- path lighting system

American Airlines faces $7.1M in fines for safety violations [Dallas Morning News]
(Photo: Joshua Davis jdavis.info )

Whether it says CD, CR, ER, LA, SR, XL, XR, or XT, the letters really stand for a version of the drug that releases differently into the body. By coming up with different variations on old drugs, pharmaceutical companies can keep the profits rolling on drugs whose patents have expired. Best of all, if they can get the doctor to write one of these letter sequences after the drug's name, the pharmacy can't substitute a lower-priced generic (unless a generic of the extended release version is already on the market).

For example, Wellbutrin (bupropion) came out in 1985 requiring 3 pills a day. In 1996, 36 months before the old patent expired, they came up with Wellbutrin SR, only 2 pills a day. In 2003, 5 months before the SR patent expired, Wellbutrin XL was released, only one pill a day.

A 3 month supply of 300 mg of bupropion per day retails on average for $270. You'll have to pay $693 and $656 for Wellbutrin SR and XL, respectively. Over the course of a year, that's $1080 extra dollars. Is it really worth paying 2.5 times as much just for one fewer pill?

There are exceptions where an extended formula works better, like short-acting calcium channel blockers like nifedipine, or Parkinson's treatment drug Sinemet CR. Luckily, in both cases, the extended release versions are available as lower-costing generics. Furthermore, a certain medication might otherwise be too hard to time correctly if several pills are needed a day at specific intervals. As always always always, any change in your medication needs to be discussed with your doctor.

[source: How To Save On Prescription Drugs]
RELATED: 14 Ways To Save On Drugs Big Pharma Doesn't Want You To Know

ELIMINATE NONESSENTIAL PRESCRIPTIONS
1. Eliminate medicines that are no longer needed
2. Eliminate medicines that no longer work
3. Eliminate medicines that have never worked
4. Eliminate medicines that were never needed

THINK OUTSIDE THE PRESCRIPTION DRUG BOTTLE
5. Treat with lifestyle changes
6. Use nondrug treatments
7. Prevent disease naturally

STEER CLEAR OF OVERPRICED REDUNDANT DRUGS
8. Don't "Ask Your Doctor" (for Advertised Drugs)
9. Insist on generic drugs
10. Insist on cheaper medicines with the same class
11. Insist on a cheaper class from the same treatment goal

PLAY IT SMART!
12. Cut costs by splitting tablets
13. Don't treat side effects of one drug with another
14. Comparison-shop

Be sure to talk to your doctor before changing anything about your medication. In fact, that's the very first thing Jardini wants you to do, schedule a "treatment review" visit where you discuss the efficacy and cost and ask the right questions about the treatment you're getting. "It is not just tough luck if your doctor chooses costly medicines for you," writes Jardini, "The system is designed this way....a health care revolution...needs to take place in the United States...but it will only start when patients enlist physician support and refuse to be denied affordable care...prohibitive cost is an intolerable side effect too."

How to Save on Prescription Drugs: 20 Cost-saving Methods [Amazon]

(Photo: xysmas (Aaron))

"I wonder which pouch my medication is in. ([This was] sent to me by the Caremark prescription fulfillment center. The drugs required refrigeration.) "

Sorry, we're not sure. Maybe you should call them and ask?

(Photo: Listener42 )

Here’s how it works: Many health insurers contract with PBMs to administer their drug plans. Among other functions, the PBMs negotiate lower drug prices with pharmacies. But some PBMs, under a practice allowed by Medicare, then charge a higher price to health insurers and, ultimately, both the government and patients. Though the opaque practice is common in the private insurance market, Medicare currently has a proposal to curb it, because the agency is worried the tactic, by inflating patients’ drug costs, is speeding their pace toward the “doughnut hole” coverage gap.

The differences between what the PBMs pay pharmacies and what they charge the plans can range from a few dollars to well over $100. In one case, a Medicare patient filled a prescription for a 90-day supply, or 270 pills, of the generic antinausea medication prochlorperazine. The difference between what the PBM, Express Scripts, paid the pharmacy and the price that showed up on the patient’s explanation of benefits was $146.53.

Well, that seems high. The PBM told the WSJ that mark-ups over $100 are rare, and that the money is used to help " fund programs that drive patients away from branded drugs and toward generics that ultimately still cost less."

Generics Are Cheap, but They Could Be Cheaper [WSJ Health Blog]
(Photo: Daquella Manera )

Nearly a third of the Association's $62 million budget comes from big pharma, which also showers individual practitioners with lucrative 'consultation fees'. The problem isn't that the profession lacks adequate ethics guidelines or regulations, but that some psychiatrists simply ignore the rules.

As a group, psychiatrists earn less in base salary than any other specialists, according to a nationwide survey by the Medical Group Management Association. In 2007, median compensation for psychiatrists was $198,653, less than half of the $464,420 earned by diagnostic radiologists and barely more than the $190,547 earned by doctors practicing internal medicine.

But many psychiatrists supplement this income with consulting arrangements with drug makers, traveling the country to give dinner talks about drugs to other doctors for fees generally ranging from $750 to $3,500 per event, for instance.

While data on industry consulting arrangements are sparse, state officials in Vermont reported that in the 2007 fiscal year, drug makers gave more money to psychiatrists than to doctors in any other specialty. Eleven psychiatrists in the state received an average of $56,944 each. Data from Minnesota, among the few other states to collect such information, show a similar trend.

In both states, individual psychiatrists are not top earners, but consulting arrangements are so common that their total tops all others. The worry is that this money may subtly alter psychiatrists’ choices of which drugs to prescribe.

An analysis of Minnesota data by The New York Times last year found that on average, psychiatrists who received at least $5,000 from makers of newer-generation antipsychotic drugs appear to have written three times as many prescriptions to children for the drugs as psychiatrists who received less money or none. The drugs are not approved for most uses in children, who appear to be especially susceptible to the side effects, including rapid weight gain.

A psychiatrist's office is a "safe space," where it's ok to ask any question, including: "have you received any compensation from any drug company?"

Psychiatric Group Faces Scrutiny Over Drug Industry Ties [NYT]
(Photo: Getty)

Home buyers should look beyond low prices for long-term values [Consumer Reports] "Follow these tips to help secure the best deal [on a home] you can."

New ways to save on drugs [CNN Money] "Here's the news you need to know to avoid the worst of the pain - no clandestine trips to Canada required."

The Four Pillars of Investing [Get Rich Slowly] "For the past year, I've been looking for a book to recommend for novice investors, a book that would offer sensible advice without becoming too technical. I believe I've finally found that book."

5 stupid 'fixes' for money woes [MSN Money] "If a solution sounds too good to be true, it probably is. And the words 'quick and easy' should set off alarm bells."

— FREE MONEY FINANCE

(Photo: Tengaport)

(Photo: Ben Popken )

What are we looking for?

For example, in this AmbienCR commercial, the announcer says:

"Sleepwalking and eating or driving while not fully awake with amnesia for the event have been reported."

Driving while not awake? With amnesia? Neat!

If you've noticed a disturbing side-effect in a tv drug ad, watch the ad again and write down exactly what the announcer says and the name of the drug, and email it to us at tips@consumerist.com. Put "Disturbing Side Effect" in the subject of your email. If you can find a clip of the advertisement on the internet, please include a link. If you have a commenter account, feel free to leave your suggestion in the comments.

We'll pick the top 10 and feature them in a Consumerist post. Thanks!

The report’s findings track with similar studies by the federal Drug Enforcement Administration, which has found that roughly seven million Americans are abusing prescription drugs. If accurate, that would be an increase of 80 percent in six years and more than the total abusing cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, Ecstasy and inhalants.

The Florida report analyzed 168,900 deaths statewide. Cocaine, heroin and all methamphetamines caused 989 deaths, it found, while legal opioids — strong painkillers in brand-name drugs like Vicodin and OxyContin — caused 2,328.

Drugs with benzodiazepine, mainly depressants like Valium and Xanax, led to 743 deaths. Alcohol was the most commonly occurring drug, appearing in the bodies of 4,179 of the dead and judged the cause of death of 466 — fewer than cocaine (843) but more than methamphetamine (25) and marijuana (0).

The study also found that while the number of people who died with heroin in their bodies increased 14 percent in 2007, to 110, deaths related to the opioid oxycodone increased 36 percent, to 1,253.

Florida doesn't track prescription drug purchases like other states, making life mindlessly easy for prescription drug addicts.

The lesson here is throw-out unused prescriptions, and be suspicious if your Xanax-munching friend keeps talking up impromptu trips to Disney World.

Legal Drugs Kill Far More Than Illegal, Florida Says [NYT]

According to the AP, the agency will slap its 'most serious warning label' on all Regranex boxes.

The findings come from a long-term analysis of records from health care providers comparing 1,600 patients who took Regranex with 2,800 patients who did not, according to the FDA.

The new label, which is outlined in a black box, advises doctors to use caution when prescribing the drug to patients with malignancies.

Regranex is a man-made version of a substance produced by the human body that helps heal ulcers. Because the drug causes cells to divide more rapidly, the FDA said Johnson & Johnson closely monitored patients for reports of cancer, which spreads through uncontrolled cell division.

The warning is targeted at people who use three or more tubes of Regranex per month, so slather sparingly!

FDA adds cancer warnings to J&J foot ulcer cream [AP]

Oxycontin, essentially a synthetic opiate, was developed in 1996 and hailed as a breakthrough in painkillers. It was designed to be swallowed and digested over a period of 12 hours in order to keep a steady flow of medication available to pain sufferers. It wasn't long before abusers discovered they could achieve a heroin-like high if the pills were crushed and snorted or prepared into an injectable solution.

The DEA found that the deaths from this class of drugs quintupled by 2001. Amidst the growing number of lawsuits and pressure by the FDA, Purdue Pharma developed an abuse-resistant version of the drug. The company has developed a plastic-like coating that is fused to the tablet making it difficult to crush. The coating is also designed to transform the pill into a "gelatinous mess" if the user tries to prepare it for injection. Purdue Pharma says the new pill dissolves just as effectively as the current pill when used properly.

From what we know about drug addicts, they are very resourceful when it comes to getting their drug. Dr. Bob Rappaport of the FDA wrote, "There is no perfect formulation that can resist all forms of tampering." We are inclined to agree, Dr. Bob. While this new version may be a step in the right direction, we remain doubtful of its actual efficacy. However, there may be some very neat, white-linen wearing drug addicts who will be put off by a "gelatinous mess." Who knows?

Oxycontin that's harder to abuse? Fda debates new version [AP]
(Photo: freerangestock)

I purchased a toy fire truck for my 2 year old son at Big Lots in Mattydale, NY, the Sunday before Easter. The night before Easter, I am preparing my son's basket by unwrapping the toy. As I was unraveling the many wire ties on the bottom of the toy, a used crack pipe fell out. (I know this was a crack pipe as I am in law enforcement and am very familiar with drug paraphernalia.) The screen was still in the tip and there was crack residue in the pipe. After my initial horror, my husband and I decided that we would call the store first thing in the morning to make them aware of the situation.
On Sunday morning, we called the store and my husband informed the manager, Wayne, what we had found. First he did not believe it and immediately stated that it could not have come from someone in his store. My husband told Wayne that we simply wanted to report the incident and let them deal with it. First he did not believe us, then laughed when my husband told him that I would no longer shop in his store. As his was not the reaction we were hoping for, my husband then called the corporate headquarters. Again the response we received was anything but acceptable. The woman that my husband spoke to assured us that the district manager for the store would be calling us the next day. We did not hear from anyone from corporate as promised and my husband called again. We have still heard nothing. It appears that no one in this company cares that my son's toy came with a free used crack pipe.
Thank you so much for your time. I am just looking for a little recognition that this type of thing is not acceptable from any parent or company.

Sincerely,
Patricia

The money-transfer businesses, or casas de cambio, are commonly used by people in the U.S. to send money back to family members in Latin America, but the Justice Department suspects the popular businesses are also used by drug traffickers to shuttle money from U.S. drug sales to drug cartels in Mexico.

"Internal emails and documents filed in federal courts in Miami, Chicago and New York describe former ties between Wachovia and money-changing firms," the Journal said.
 
It said Miami court documents show that US agents have seized over 11 million dollars in 23 Wachovia accounts that belonged to the Mexican chain Casa de Cambio Puebla. US authorities suspected the money was the laundered funds of a drugs syndicate.
 
The probe into Wachovia is part of a larger investigation into money laundering by drug cartels through the money transfer firms that involves both US and Mexican authorities.

"Wachovia probed over drug-money laundering: report" [AFP]

RELATED
"Wachovia To Pay $144 Million For Bilking "Gullible" Seniors"
(Photo: Adam Cole)

The researchers freeze-dried the heparin and used a combination of nuclear magnetic resonance imaging and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry to analyze its structure. In addition to a known impurity of heparin called dermatan sulfate, they found that contaminated lots contain a molecule that looks similar to heparin and showed it was almost certainly oversulfated chondroitin sulfate.

China says their tests show that only some of the Heparin that caused the problems contained the contaminants, so it therefore must be something else:

They said other contaminants, problems with the device used to inject the drug or health factors with the patients who used the drug could be to blame.

Estimates suggest more than 80 percent of all active ingredients used by U.S. drug manufacturers come from abroad. But the FDA only inspects foreign drug plants about once every 13 years, compared to every two to three years for domestic plants, according to the Government Accountability Office. The GAO finds that China's drug plants are inspected once every 30 to 40 years.
 
The FDA plans to establish permanent overseas offices in numerous countries, including China, to help address the problem. More foreign plant inspections than ever were conducted by the FDA in 2007, dedicating about $10 million to the process. But GAO analysis said it would cost the FDA $67 to $71 million each year to inspect the thousands of foreign plants on the agency's priority list.
 
Still, von Eschenbach told the House Subcommittee on Oversight and Investigations that in heparin's case, even if the Chinese plant had been inspected years ago, "we would not have detected that contamination" because the test to detect it was just developed.

PPH Class Action: Not Too Late [LawyersAndSettlements]
(Photo: freerangestock.com)

The Ortho patch releases high levels of estrogen and can cause problems for some patients, but J&J says it's the FDA's fault for not requiring a label sooner:

The F.D.A. did not warn the public of the potential risks until November 2005 — six years after the company's own study showed the high estrogen releases. At that point, the product's label was changed, and prescriptions fell 80 percent, to 187,000 by last February from 900,000 in March 2004.

Gloria Vanderham, a Johnson & Johnson spokeswoman, said the company acted responsibly.

"We have regularly disclosed data to the F.D.A., the medical community and the public in a timely manner," Ms. Vanderham said. "Ortho Evra is a safe and effective birth control option for women when used according to the labeling."

But Janet Abaray, a plaintiff's lawyer from Cincinnati, said that Johnson & Johnson took advantage of an agency overwhelmed by its many responsibilities.

"Johnson & Johnson knew that F.D.A. does not have the funding or the manpower to police drug companies," Ms. Abaray said.

WalMart advertises that generic prescriptions are just $4.00 for up to a 30 day supply. What they don't tell you is that it must be what they consider a "commonly prescribed dosage," so if your doctor decides you need a different dosage they count it as separate prescriptions. For example, if a pill comes in 10mg, 20mg or 40mg strengths and your doctor wants you to take 30mgs. WalMart counts that as 3 - 10mg prescriptions and charges you $12.00 for a 30 day supply.

The information about the dosage is not on the store signs, I found it on their website. Recently I had such a prescription filled; when I questioned the pharmacist about the price difference he became upset and was very rude to me.
Debra

Any pharmacists out there want to explain how this works?

We travel full time, so to get our prescription meds we have used Walgreens, because they transfer prescriptions to any of their stores. In Dec of last year I had a prescription filled (for high blood pressure) at a Walgreens store in Dallas...I noticed that the pills looked different, but thought they must have changed to a generic. When I finished that 90 day supply, I got a refill at a Walgreens in Florida. Now the pills were back to what I'd taken for years...an oval green pill. I had 2 left in the old bottle, white round pills...not what that bottle label said they were suppose to be. Acckk! So now I had taken 3 months of the wrong mystery medicine.

I checked the PDR, no matches...I went to the local Walgreens and they couldn't identify it. Nor could the Poison Control Center. The local Walgreens gave me a phone number for Walgreens Corporate office, which led to another phone number and another, climbing the corporate ladder, finally speaking to the CEOs office (but not the CEO). I couldn't get anybody to understand that this was serious...that the pills needed to be identified, that it was important to know what I had taken, who else might have gotten the wrong med, how had this happened and more importantly what was being done to assure this wasn't still happening.

I tried to explain that if this had been a case of product tampering it would have presented like this...a pill not matching the description on the label. That in a case of product tampering people could have died waiting for their corporation to respond.

It ended up taking Walgreens six weeks to get the pill identified. It was a generic allergy pill that was a Wall Mart brand. There was no explanation of how it got in a Walgreens bottle. No explanation about any of this. And no assurances that they have improved any part of their system.

I wanted Walgreens to tell me what had happened... and what they were doing in the future to deal with this sort of mistake. People faced with this situation should immediately be given access to a person or department who will take this seriously. They should not have to wait SIX WEEKS to have a medication identified. And it should not have taken so much persistent effort on my part. Walgreens should have recognized this as an immediate problem, and responded quickly... with concern for my safety and others. They did not and have not done that.

According to PAL:

Medicare Part B recipients, health plans and individuals who paid for these drugs but were not on Medicare will be eligible to receive payments from this settlement once the Court finally approves it. The following types of individuals and entities will be eligible:

• Patients on Medicare Part B who paid a percentage (i.e. not a fixed copayment, but 10%, 20%, etc.) of the cost of one of the drugs in the case, taken between Jan. 1, 1991 and Jan. 1, 2005.
• Health Plans and other Third Party Payors who paid all or part of a Medicare Part B recipient's percentage co-insurance for one of the drugs.
• Individuals not on Medicare Part B who paid all or part (a percentange) of the cost of one of the drugs taken between Jan 1, 1991 and March 1, 2008.
• Health plans and other Third Party Payors who paid all or part of the cost of one of the drugs taken by an individual not on Medicare part B between Jan 1, 1991 and March 1, 2008.

"11 drug companies settlement AWP allegations for $125 Million" [Prescription Access Litigation]
(Photo: Getty)

Yesterday I did the unthinkable. I went to Radio Shack.

(I needed some small parts for a project I am working on).

I walked into the store and was very impressed to find no employees working.

I don't mean standing around, I mean no one in the store...at all. So I spend about 5 minutes finding the parts I need, finally two employees walk out of the back room. When they walked out of the room, the unmistakable smell of marijuana filled the store. Both employees were pretty out of it, it was rather amusing watching them work high.

Just more proof of Radio Shacks high standards.


Charlie

(Photo:imorgan73)

From the Wall Street Journal:

The FDA's leader, in an unusual public departure from Bush administration policy, says in an interview that he requested more than the 2.95% increase in overall agency appropriations proposed in the president's 2009 budget, though he declines to discuss specific figures. An outside advisory panel yesterday suggested the agency needs about 150% added to its appropriated base budget, phased in over five years, to cope with challenges such as inspecting a rising tide of imports.

"I think to do what we need to do requires substantially more dollars than what has been invested in the FDA thus far," Dr. von Eschenbach says. "This is a systemic overhaul that must go on over a period of years."

One Democrat, Rep. Bart Stupak of Michigan, who chairs a House subcommittee that has held a series of hearings about the FDA, has called for Dr. von Eschenbach's resignation. He and John Dingell, another Michigan Democrat, who chairs the Energy and Commerce Committee, say they will seek broad legislative reforms of the agency.

"He's the captain of the ship," Mr. Stupak says. "He's the one who comes here and tells me, 'Mr. Chairman, everything is wonderful, everything is just wonderful.'" He adds that "Congress is in no mood to put money into an FDA that is badly broken and they have no plan."

FDA Chief Is in Budget Bind [Wall Street Journal]

Warshak could face more than 20 years in prison, while his company, Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, may have to "forfeit tens of millions of dollars," according to the Associated Press. We don't have any info on the sentence his mom could receive.

Prosecutors claimed customers were bilked out of $100 million through a series of deceptive ads, manipulated credit card transactions and the company's refusal to accept returns or cancel orders. They said unauthorized credit card charges generated thousands of complaints over unordered products.

(Thanks to Ken!)

"Enzyte Maker Found Guilty of Fraud" [AP]

RELATED
Previous articles about Enzyte and Steve Warshak

[Drug researcher Dr. Dennis Mangano] believes Trasylol should have been taken off the market when he published his study in January 2006, a study that associated the drug's use with kidney failure requiring dialysis and increased death of those patients. Between the study's publication and November 2007, when Bayer removed the drug, "There were approximately 431,000 patients who received the drug," says Mangano. "As I calculated, 22,000 lives could have been saved. It's about a 1,000 lives per month," he tells Pelley.

In September 2006, Mangano presented his observational study of 5,065 patients in 17 countries to the FDA in hopes it would persuade them to pull the drug. Bayer senior executives attended the meeting to defend their product and at the time, their company had results from its own research that confirmed Mangano's results. But the Bayer executives failed to disclose the existence of the study. Mangano says this was irresponsible. "The [Bayer] representatives at the meeting...should have disclosed fully to the FDA that a study was done...even put the meeting in abeyance until the data were found or discussed," Mangano tells Pelley. "Good medicine demands that you protect the patient. That's the issue here and not the drug and not the profit margin," he says.

The chairman of the FDA committee that held that meeting, Dr. William Hiatt, told 60 Minutes that he would have voted to remove Trasylol from the market if he had known about Bayer's study. He also took issue with Bayer's failure to disclose it. "I thought it was unusual. I thought it was truly inappropriate," he tells Pelley.

22,000 died amid delayed Bayer drug recall: doctor [Reuters]
(AP Photo/Roberto Pfeil)

The NY Magazine article contains some pretty freaky stuff. It seems that, for some people, taking Chantix turns everyday life into a David Lynch movie. The FDA says "vivid, unusual, or strange dreams may occur while taking Chantix." The problem, it seems, is that for some people... these dreams don't just happen while you're asleep.

The next night, I nodded off listening to Radiohead's In Rainbows, feeling a little guilty that I'd paid zero dollars for it. I had a quick blip of a dream: A dark, inky fluid was jolting violently from the corners of my ceiling, zigzagging its way across the walls and wooden floor in jerky sync to the music.

It was only a dream, though it seemed more immediate and visceral than my usual fare, which I rarely remember after waking up. The following night, things got even stranger. I fell asleep with Bravo blaring on my TV and dreamed that a red-faced Tim Gunn was pushing me against the wall. "But I always thought you were so nice," I said.

By night four, my dreams began to take on characteristics of a David Cronenberg movie. Every time I'd drift off, I'd dream that an invisible, malevolent entity was emanating from my air conditioner, which seemed to be rattling even more than usual. I'd nap for twenty minutes or so before bolting awake with an involuntary gasp. I had the uneasy sense that I wasn't alone.

I smoked a cigarette, then tried going back to sleep. But each time I started napping, I'd dream that something increasingly ominous—carbon monoxide? Vampires?—was sucking vital essence out of me. Soon the clock on my desk read 3:20 a.m.

The most unsettling thing about sleeping on Chantix is that I never felt like I was truly asleep. Some part of me remained on guard. It was more like lucid dreaming, what I thought it might feel like to be hypnotized. And it didn't entirely go away come morning. As I showered, shaved, and scrambled into clothes, I tried to shake a weird, paranoid sense that I'd just been psychically raped by a household appliance.

FDA Issues Public Health Advisory on Chantix [FDA]
This Is My Brain on Chantix [NYmag]

According to WLKY, this advice could have been of use to an 18-year-old woman who accidentally deposited a bag of meth along with a check in a Washington ATM. A bank employee found the drugs and called the police.

And yes, it was a credit union.

Woman Accused Of Depositing Meth At Bank [WKLY]
(Photo:Todd Kravos)

Privacy advocates are upset about the whole thing and considering legal action, but since the camera was a "non-working decoy" it will be hard to argue that any personal data was actually being recorded.

"There isn't any real material difference between a fake camera and a real camera,'' he said. "Whether they're real or fake, you still have the feeling of being watched.''

One patron of the Second Cup in question appeared to be more sympathetic with the owner's intentions.

"I am conscious the owner has to do something about the problem,'' said Steve Beshwaty as he enjoyed a cup of coffee.

"I don't find it particularly appealing to have a camera in the bathroom, but I understand the owner. ''

"Second Cup store removes bathroom surveillance cam" [CTV]
(Photo: Getty)

We appreciated two spots for Doritos and Fed Ex that featured oversized animals overcoming expectations. Doritos' slapstick ad played off the old truth that mice love cheese with a scene that we would love to see played out at Disney.
Fed Ex did a commendable job using pigeons, but even though it was clever, it only reminded us of their own bird brained failures.
Coke's spot with former Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist and James Carville was the most honest ad of the night thanks to its crisp, refreshing message: members of the government are shameless whores who gladly sell out to the highest bidder. It's true. Everyone likes to rail against the incestuous ethics-free cesspool that is Washington politics, and here it is, proudly on display for the Super Bowl. This is the saddest political ad since Bob Dole endorsed Viagra.
Most disappointing spot of the night goes to the Office of National Drug Control Policy. These are the people who gave us our brain on drugs. Our tax dollars should churn out high-powered visuals, not low-budget documentary-knock-offs. We could barely hear the skeezy drug dealer mutter the key line: kids steal drugs from their parents.Do people ever get ideas from ONDCP commercials? We didn't realize kids could get high and save money just by raiding their parents' medicine cabinet. Thanks for the tip, federal government!

What did you think of the ads? Tell us in the comments.

Watch All the Super Bowl Spots [Ad Age]

"We need a way to synthesize data about the effectiveness of health care products and services in a standardized, objective fashion that will be considered reliable and trustworthy by all decision makers," said Dr. Barbara McNeil of Harvard School of Medicine, who worked on the report.

"A system coordinated by a single, national entity that can prioritize and coordinate these evaluations would enable us to sort the wheat from the chaff and make sense of it all," McNeil said in a statement.

"Report seeks one-stop source for health info" [Reuters]
(Illustration: Getty)

Dr. Turner said the selective reporting of favorable studies sets up patients for disappointment. "The bottom line for people considering an antidepressant, I think, is that they should be more circumspect about taking it," he said, "and not be so shocked if it doesn't work the first time and think something's wrong with them." For doctors, he said, "They end up asking, 'How come these drugs seem to work so well in all these studies, and I'm not getting that response?'"

"Antidepressant Studies Unpublished" [New York Times]
(Photo: Getty)

One of my friends actually stuffs capsules for a living for a company making an herbal "sexual stimulant" - she literally sits there on her living room floor watching TV, smoking cigarettes, and talking on the phone while handling (with either bare unwashed hands or many-times-reused gloves) the powder and the capsules themselves. It pays well, and her boss gets away with this because there's no FDA control on herbal supplements AT ALL. God only knows what's in those pills.

"Hormone-Filled Dietary Supplement Caused Cancer In Two Men, Say Doctors"
(Photo: Getty)