Pharma

Drugmakers are descending on Washington to protect their freedom to advertise meds directly to consumers and push for looser government restrictions on off-label promotion, The Wall Street Journal writes.

Government attorneys appointed by the Bush Administration have been supporting GlaxoSmithKline in a number of courts across the country in an effort to convince the courts that lawsuits filed by victims of Paxil-induced injuries should be dismissed before ever making it to a jury. In fact, the Administration has spent a massive amount of tax dollars filing amicus briefs on behalf of just about every drug maker involved in litigation in an attempt to get the lawsuits filed by private citizens thrown out of court.

Antipsychotic drugs for children have taken off in the US on the back of a willingness to diagnose those with behavioural problems as having manic depression. Even children barely out of babyhood are getting a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, the modern term for the condition. The chief symptoms are mood swings, which, however, are common in children of any age

The Centre for International Governance Innovation (CIGI) today released a study that adopts a critical view of the proposal for a licensing system that would legalize opium cultivation in Afghanistan as a step towards ending the narcotics trade in that country.

Chemicals surround us; from the food we eat, to the electronic devices we use, to the clothes we wear. But to what extent do they put our health in danger? That's a question increasingly being asked by scientists. Despite promises from the federal government, little to no research is actually being done.

A new study by two York University researchers estimates the U.S. pharmaceutical industry spends almost twice as much on promotion as it does on research and development, contrary to the industry’s claim.

Children's advocacy groups and law enforcement say a new candy made by Hershey's, "Ice Breakers Pacs," resembles illegal drugs and could be "extremely dangerous" for young people.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration on Tuesday issued a warning about Pfizer Inc's anti-smoking drug, Chantix, amid reports of at least one death, and suicidal thoughts and behavior linked to the medication.

On August 4 GlaxoSmithKline was forced to update its package insert for Requip, a drug used to treat restless legs syndrome (RLS) or, "jitters in the legs," which some claim isn't a real disease. What is real, is that Requip also causes "pathological gambling," and "increased libido including hypersexuality." We know this because that's what the new package insert says.

The number of school children prescribed anti-depressants and mind-altering drugs has more than quadrupled in the last decade, it has emerged.