Merck Ignored the Risk of Heart Attack with Vioxx for Four Years

For four years Merck turned a deaf ear to the research linking Vioxx to increased risk of heart attack, a large 35 percent increase in cardiovascular event or death. In 2002 Dr. David Graham testified that there was evidence that 88,000 to 139,000 people had suffered heart attacks as a side-effect of taking Vioxx. Thirty to 40 percent of those people died. That's possibly 55,000 people that died from using this drug!!! This was in 2002, and all Merck did at the time was change the label to suggest a possible risk of heart attack. Try VERY POSSIBLE!

Vioxx was put on the market in 1999. By the end of 2000 there were already strong indications that the drug significantly increased the risks of cardiovascular problems when 21 of the 30 tests had been completed. The drug was not pulled until 2004.

It is alleged that Merck had a list of doctors that were critical of Vioxx and planned to discredit them or "neutralize" them. Vioxx became one of the most prescribed drugs in history. It's sales reached almost $2 billion a year. Let's see, $2 billion multiplied by four years of keeping people in the dark and keeping the drug on the shelf equals roughly $8 billion. Wow, intimidation and greed really are common threads among these companies. If you will remember, Merck is also the company that was pushing Gardasil despite the lack of research and possible risks.

Click here for a list of other drugs marketed under Merck. Makes you question what is going on with these and which one will be next on the list of "oh yeah, and it might actually kill you."

Also, here you will see what Merck is posting on its website about the proceedings in Canada against Vioxx. Please be sure to scroll down to the part about "Today's Merck working for the world to be well." Well what about all the drugs you put on the market yesterday?

KY Attorney General, Jack Conway, Is On Our Side!

That sounds like a cheesy slogan, but since he took office in January 2008, Jack Conway has made some headway at making Big Pharma pay. He is running for US Senate in 2010. Here is hoping we see more of him soon! Below are links mentioning what he has done for his state's Medicaid program and his website. If you can see through the political mumbo-jumbo, it really seems as if he is one of the good guys fighting for morality instead of greed. Good luck, Jack!

http://www.kypost.com/news/local/story/Pharmaceutical-Cos-To-Pay-98M-To-Settle-Fraud/_Te7f81puk6Bx1CXDnUxHA.cspx

http://jackconway.org/

Chicago Psychiatrist Claims Anti-Psychotic Drug Helps With Weight-Loss Despite The Obvious With His and Others' Patients

For ten years AstraZeneca LEGALLY compensated Dr. Michael Reinstein, a Chicago psychiatrist, to promote Seroquel and claim that he has research that suggests it helps lose weight in addition to its anti-psychotic "benefits." There is real research that proves not only does the drug not promote weight-loss but causes weight gain and can lead to diabetes.

Reinstein became so valuable to AstraZeneca that despite worries from some that his "findings" were too good to be true, the chief sales executive wrote that they needed to tend to "his every query and satisfy any of his quirky behaviors." Reinstein was putting thousands of mentally ill residents in the Chicago area on Seroquel and traveling the country to give promotional speeches from his personal experiences.

It seems Reinstein forgot to mention the patients that were gaining weight and developing diabetes. Chanile Haynes went from 140 pounds to 300 pounds within two years of starting the drug. She said she had wondered why Reinstein, a man on the larger side, was not taking the medicine himself if it really helped to lose weight. Haynes developed diabetes as a result of her weight gain and is now on even more medication.

Reinstein has claimed that any money he received from drug companies has had no effect on his research! Really? Then why would he threaten at one point to switch his patients to a competitor's drug?

It is clear that AstraZeneca chose profit over safety and truth. Sadly, Dr. Reinstein still can not admit that his palms were greased, and he said what they wanted to hear.

Click here to read the full article printed in the Chicago Tribune.

Prof Mohammed Hani; The Real Deal

Webster's defines hero as "a man admired for his achievements and noble qualities."

Why is it that despite the undeniable evidence that Prof Mohammed Hani is a real-live hero, there are still some within the Medical and Pharmaceutical worlds that shun him and resent his dedication to his patients and truth?

This man used his scientific training and compassion for others to uncover the reason his patients were dying once they got to the hospital for help. How could anyone not want him to expose the drug that was killing his and other patients? One answer: money.

Hani did not let that or the personal attacks he would receive stop him from blowing the whistle, and that is why he is a hero and deserves the title of this entry.

Omnicare and Ivax Admit No Wrong-Doing BUT Settle For $112 Million To "Avoid Expensive Litigation"

Omnicare and Ivax have decided to settle for $112 million to "avoid expensive litigation" for alleged drug kickbacks but claim they've done nothing wrong? Omnicare will be paying $98 million and Ivax $14 million plus interest.

I can only begin to imagine how much they are covering up if they thought $112 million would be the cheaper way out. These companies have made so much money through fraud that they can afford to just throw out millions to cover it up and say they will implement new integrity training to prevent future problems. I wonder how much they'll have to pay for that training?

Lou Gehrig's vs HPV

Aside from the other 40-something deaths possibly being linked to Gardasil, the vaccination is now the prime suspect in the deaths of two young girls, ages 17 and 20, with Lou Gehrig's Disease. Both girls started showing symptoms within months of starting the vaccination. Sadly 70% of HPV infections clear on their own within one year and 90% within two years. Regular screenings by a doctor can insure early detection and treatment before the virus results in cervical cancer.

Lou Gehrig's on the other hand is a very rapidly progressing disease that leads to death. These poor girls were only doing what they were told by commercials and doctors (who were influenced by Merk) to do to protect themselves. In some cases these young girls were so convinced by this propaganda they became propaganda themselves. (Make sure you look at the wall behind this girl! This is in the student health center!)

What's next? A drug to "help" the 15 million girls that have already been vaccinated not to think about all the possible future side effects to come their way?

Why Would Dr. Harper Deny HPV Vaccines Statements?

Dr. Diane Harper is now saying she did not make statements about Cervavix or Gardasil being dangerous and deadly. She has been quoted by several news sources speaking out about some of the possible side effects and about the question of its actual effectiveness. Now that she is denying this I am wondering why? Who got to Dr. Harper?

Drug Marketed at Girls as Young as 9 Has Never Been Tested On Any Under Age 15

Dr. Diane Harper, lead researcher for Gardasil and Cervarvix, has admitted FOR THE SECOND TIME that these vaccinations have not been tested on young girls and safety could be an issue. In 2007 she was quoted as saying giving the vaccine to girls under 11 is "a great big public health experiment." Early October she addressed the 4th International Public Conference on Vaccination and said that there is no real proof the vaccination works in addition to it being given to girls as young as nine even though "there have been no efficacy trials in girls under 15."

Gardasil has been associated with 44 deaths and numerous side effects since its introduction 3 short years ago, and now we are finding out that the main target audience has not even been tested! Unfortunately the girls who have received the vaccination are now the research group. Most of the girls are too young to even know what a cervix or cervical cancer is.

Anyone that has watched T.V. or walked into a pediatrician's office in the last three years has seen the propaganda urging mothers to protect their daughters and get them vaccinated. Now these poor mothers have to worry about any possible unknown side effects their daughters will have to face in the future. To make matters worse the fact is their daughters were probably at a very, very low risk of getting cervical cancer anyway. Then on top of that the vaccination does not even protect against all of the hundreds of HPV viruses that can lead to cervical cancer.

At one point Merk was pushing for the vaccination to become mandatory for school attendance. Texas governor Rick Perry issued an executive order mandating Gardasil for school age girls, but thankfully the ordered was reversed.

Thank you to Dr. Harper for speaking out, and let's hope that people are listening.

NAMI got $23 from Drug Companies

Who makes the most donations to NAMI, the National Alliance on Mental Illness? Guess again, it’s DRUG COMPANIES! It’s no secret that NAMI lobbies big and bad with drug makers to push legislation that benefits BigPharma. Well, maybe they’re about to at least get their hands slapped by Iowa’s Senator Chuck Grassley. He’s written some letters, and poked around, and now the numbers are out. NAMI got $23 million from drug makers. Yes, almost 75% of the donations NAMI got were from pharmaceutical companies.


Michael Fitzpatrick, the executive director of NAMI promises things will change. He says that NAMI doesn’t want it to look like NAMI is “…in the pockets of pharmaceutical companies…”. Now NAMI will start posting the names of companies that donate $5,000 or more. Bet there’ll start being a lot of $4,999 dollar donations from various fringe groups and “anonymous” donors.
Here’s the story from the NYT.

20,000 Expected to Lose Job As Result of Pfizer Wyeth Merger

These drug companies expect their employees to be loyal and tight lipped about any unethical, unmoral practices that happen everyday but then make "business moves" that will result in 20,000 of those employees to be jobless. Now that Pfizer and Wyeth have completed their merger it's time to sit back and see how many of those employees will be kicked to the curb.

It took nine months from the time Pfizer announced its intentions of acquiring Wyeth for the dotted line to be signed. What kind of prenatal vitamins were these two taking to cause such a terrible side effect? One area of the budget that is expected to see dramatic slashes is research. Research!?

$1.3 Billion Criminal Fine for Pfizer and There's Still Enough Money To Buy Wyeth

Pfizer Inc. plead guilty to felony charges “for misbranding Bextra with the intent to defraud or mislead.” The terms of the settlement resulted in the largest criminal fine EVER imposed in the U.S., yet I wonder how much of a dent it actually put in their pocketbook if they can still afford to "join"/buy out Wyeth.



Pfizer & Wyeth Are Now One. Working Together for a Healthier World........how much do you think they paid someone to come up with that statement?



Even so...a win is a win. Go, Whistleblowers!

Shouldn’t Paul Kirk’s Ties to Pharmaceutical Companies Raise Even More Concern Than His Health-Insurance Connections?

After reading the cry for help Dr. Janet Parker, D.V.M. sent in November 2008 to the United Nations on behalf of “Medical Whistleblowers,” it seems that appointing someone else on the Pharmaceutical companies’ side to the Senate would be a step in the wrong direction.

Paul G. Kirk, Jr. is the likely pick of Gov. Patrick and is being endorsed by the Kennedys even though there is opposition by many concerned that his loyalty to Hartford Financial Services would be a serious conflict of interest. Kirk has also spent some of his career lobbying for the Pharmaceutical companies Hoechst Marion Roussel and Aventis.

Dr. Parker’s letter to the UN describes an un-just and un-safe system for Whistleblowers that have bravely taken a stand only to be assaulted, forced out of the workplace, and possibly murdered. She personally was raped and harassed when she tried to push the murder investigation of Assistant United States Attorney Tom Wales. Wales was murdered during an investigation of an enterprise that takes advantage of vulnerable people through fraud. Dr. Parker’s concerns lie with the almost non-existent safety system for whistleblowers because of loyalties and political influence of the people in power.

Giving Kirk a free pass to D.C. will only hinder the process of establishing any kind of safe avenue for these witnesses of fraud and greed to come forward with their testimony.

Fox Guards the Henhouse with BigPharma Testing Itself

We’d love to hear what others think about BigPharma sponsoring studies about their own pharmaceuticals and thinking that this is going to generate quality information. The drug companies get slapped on the wrists when they get caught with their ethics in the grinder, but then it is forgotten by the general public. Here’s a story of interest from the “Hooked: Ethics, Medicine and Pharma” blog, which we’ll soon be featuring here in the middle column of PharmaWhistleblower website. Stay tuned in, and please share your thoughts.


Check it here.

They Thought They'd Get Away With It...But They Didn't

Biovail Pharmaceuticals, LLC, will pay over $22 million in a criminel fine after pleading guilty to conspiracy and kickback charges. Biovaile, a New Jersey-based pharmaceutical company and its employees were charged with operating a program in which Biovaile paid or caused to be paid up to $1,000 to thousands of physicians and others in order to induce them to prescribe or recommend the drug Cardizem, L.A.

BioVail Pharmaceuticals will also pay more than $2.4 million to the United States to resolve allegations that this conduct caused false claims to be submitted to the United States.

Read the official account..

Pharmaceutical companies need to be accountable. Did they know that what they were doing was illegal? How could they not? Unethical? C'mon...they paid real money to people as an incentive to get them to prescribe their drug. They did this with disregard to the patients, who might benefit more, or have a smaller ding in their pocketbook, with another drug. And physicians who took the money and prescribed the drug? SHAME ON YOU! Anyone who was prescribed this drug should ask their doctor outright if he or she was part of this "program", for their own peace of mind.

A Psychiatrist Takes On A Drug Company. Good Read!

The Goose that Laid the Golden Egg


Doug Bremner

This is the story of a psychiatrist who takes on a multibillion dollar drug company, gets chewed up and spit out, but survives. Even conquers.

A psychiatrist doing research on a drug for the treatment of acne speaks out about the dangers of the drug which can cause depression and suicide. The drug company that makes the drug, from which they get a billion dollars a year in profit, hires doctors to spy on him and discredit him, sues his university, attacks his research and accuses him of fraud, and harrasses him in other ways. His colleagues desert him, his wife leaves him and his family falls apart. He goes on a journey to look for his mother and finds her in an unexpected way. This gives him the strength to carry on. His family is restored and the drug company finally removes the drug from the market.

Product recall .... prenatal vitamins

Product Recall!

Who would think that prescription prenatal vitamins and iron supplements could pose a risk! Ethex Corporation is removing over 60 generic drugs from the shelves for oversized tablets, wrong dosages, and other defects that can pose a risk to mom and baby. For more info, check out the latest press release at

http://www.fda.gov/oc/po/firmrecalls/ethex02_09.htm

Xigris safety review..... Bleeding and sepsis

Do you or someone you know have severe sepsis? Have you been treated with Xigris. There have been serious side effects and this medication is undergoing an ongoing safety review. Serious bleeding in 35%% of patients shows the risk of this medication.
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/early_comm/drotrecogin_alfa.html

Danger of Numbing Ingredients

If you are getting a mammogram, laser hair removal or are suffering from chronic pain and use topical anesthetics, think again. These have been used to block pain in the skin for medical tests or for specific conditions have caused two women to die.
These anesthetics often pass into the blood stream. More info from the FDA is available at
http://www.fda.gov/cder/drug/podcast/topical_anesthetics_full.htm

Are you taking singulair (montelukast)for asthma or allergies? If you or someone you know uses singulair, be aware that many patients who take this drug suffer from changes in mood and behavior, including suicidal thoughts.

Check this out
http://www.fda.gov/medwatch/safety/2008/safety08.htm#Singulair
Or talk with your healthcare professional.

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