A lot people it seems have been singing and dancing in the street at news last week that AbbVie the pharmaceutical company that make Humira have dropped a legal action against the European Medicine’s Agency (EMA) that was aimed at blocking any access by researchers or others to their clinical trial data. Stacy of Arc Not everyone will be pleased though. Stacy London might … [Read more...] about Welcome to Troy
The Macbeth Test
Editorial Note: No one outside the UK may be paying any heed to the all-consuming debate within Britain about the referendum on the future of Scotland. Everything comes back to this. Corporations have been saying they'll pull out if Scotland leaves the UK (Standard Life) or that they'd prefer if Scotland left (British Airways). The EU have said Scotland would have to wait 5 … [Read more...] about The Macbeth Test
AbbVie & GSK Can Buy Your Data for Almost Nothing
Editorial Note: This prescient post written by Phil Booth was posted on OpenDemocracy.net under the title Your medical data - on sale for a pound on August 9th 2013. The original intention was to link it into the AbbVie debate about access to clinical trial data - as an ironic contrast. That opportunity passed - but a stopped clock throws up the right time twice a day. In … [Read more...] about AbbVie & GSK Can Buy Your Data for Almost Nothing
Somatic Symptom Disorder
Editorial Note: Richard commented on Peter Gøtzsche's recent post Psychiatry Gone Astray. He was invited to develop his comment and does so here. My name is Richard Lawhern. I advocate for nearly 5,000 chronic pain patients as a volunteer moderator and content writer at "Living With TN", a social networking website. We support people with Trigeminal Neuralgia - the worst pain … [Read more...] about Somatic Symptom Disorder
Get Real: Peter Gøtzsche Responds
Editorial Note: Two weeks ago we ran Peter Gøtzsche's Psychiatry Gone Astray. There was a context - a Danish doctor had been found responsible for the suicide of a young man put on antidepressants. This and Peter's article stirred up debate in Denmark drawing a hard to credit defensive response from senior Danish Psychiatrists. Peter's blog was critiqued by George Dawson on … [Read more...] about Get Real: Peter Gøtzsche Responds
Sexual Dysfunction Enduring After Treatment Halts: s-DEATH
Editorial note: This post is copied from RxISK where there will be 5 posts this week on aspects of Enduring Sexual Dysfunction after treatment, covering the issues below. Wikipedia stumbles and falls Wikipedia used to host a valued page on Post-SSRI Sexual Dysfunction (PSSD). On January 27th this was taken down. A Post-Finasteride Syndrome page has also been taken down. … [Read more...] about Sexual Dysfunction Enduring After Treatment Halts: s-DEATH
What Do Women Want?
Editorial Note: This is cross-posted from 1boringoldman - Reassure Us. It tackles the most important issue in healthcare and one of the most important in politics. GSK have clearly persuaded Ben Goldacre, Iain Chalmers and David Cameron, and J&J have persuaded Harlan Krumholz and Barack Obama that their model of Data Access - the AbbVie model - is the only game in town. See … [Read more...] about What Do Women Want?
The Devil’s Disclaimer
Editorial Note: The marketing of pharmaceuticals avails of something given to no other area of marketing - the product is made available on prescription-only. In this post Johanna Ryan, from RxISK's Community Advisory Board, spells out the risks this gives rise to. This is a theme that has come up often and one we will return to. Direct to consumers? If you live in the USA, I … [Read more...] about The Devil’s Disclaimer
Psychiatry Gone Astray
Editorial note: We follow up the Guilty post last week with a piece written by Peter Gøtzsche that has caused a stir in Denmark and provoked some of the Danish professors he critiques to respond. At the Nordic Cochrane Centre, we have researched antidepressants for several years and I have long wondered why leading professors of psychiatry base their practice on a number … [Read more...] about Psychiatry Gone Astray
Guilty
Days of reckoning? A little over a year ago, there was consternation in psychiatric circles as a French psychiatrist, Daniele Canarelli was found guilty after her patient hacked a man to death. She had not recogized the hazard he posed. Doctors didn't like the implications they saw. In a series of lectures I have raised the question as to how long it might be before a … [Read more...] about Guilty