The Color of Money

[Guest guest]

Health Sciences Institute e-AlertDear Reader,Hear that sound? That's the sound of whistles blowing.Last November, an FDA insider made headlines when he told Congressthat the FDA was lax in publicizing the dangers of Vioxx and severalother high profile drugs.But as disturbing as that testimony was, it pales in comparison to amuch more shocking revelation that shows just how callous andself-serving the drug industry can be when the dangers of a cash cowdrug are covered up to protect profits.Paint this one a dark shade of greedy green.---------------------------Cue thunder sound effects---------------------------You've got to love the pulp fiction sound of this: The British MedicalJournal (BMJ) recently received some "missing" drug company documents.They were sent from an anonymous source. And no doubt they arrived ona dark and stormy night.According to reports from the BMJ, the documents indicate that morethan 15 years ago, executives of Eli Lilly were fully aware thatProzac use increased the risk of suicide and violence. The fact thatthe information in these documents was not reported is bad enough. Butthat's only part of a larger story that includes a secret deal andsome convenient rubber-stamping from an FDA panel.Probably none of this would have come to light if it weren't for a1989 tragedy in which a young Kentucky man named Joseph Wesbeckerkilled eight of his co-workers, wounded a dozen, and then turned hisgun on himself. He had been taking Prozac for a month prior to theshooting. The victims of the incident eventually brought a lawsuitagainst Eli Lilly, charging that the company had withheld clinicaltrial data from the FDA that found nearly 40 percent of patients whoused Prozac reported new "activating" symptoms that include agitation,mania and hostility.Lilly actually won that case. Executives later crowed that Prozac hadbeen proven to be safe and effective "in a court of law." Case closed?Not quite.According to the BMJ, the judge who presided over the case smelled arat. Years later, in 1997, he got Lilly execs to admit that theypulled an end run and brokered a secret settlement with theplaintiffs. The judge changed the verdict to read "settled withprejudice," and stated that Lilly had "sought to buy not just theverdict but the court's judgment as well."And if you're thinking, "Gee, how low can this go?" here's the answer:even lower.---------------------------No bark, no teeth---------------------------Whoever sent those internal Lilly documents – "missing" from theWesbecker case – to the BMJ was apparently aware that sending them tothe FDA would be like sending them from one oblivion to another. Butwait – the FDA is supposed to be our drug safety watchdog, right?Yeah, right.The FDA granted the approval for Prozac in 1987, just two years afterGermany refused to license the drug because of "suicidal risk."Feeling some pressure a few years later, in 1991 the FDA appointed ascientific advisory panel to study the suicide risk of Prozac. Thepanel's verdict: No link to suicide. But some FDA insiders didn'tagree with the results. And guess what? Several of the experts whoserved on the panel had financial ties to – yep – Eli Lilly!So here we are, 20 years after German scientists found aProzac/suicide link, 16 years after young Wesbecker went on a killingrampage, eight years after a judge took away Lilly's claim aboutProzac being found safe in a court of law, and NOW here's what an FDAspokesperson has to say to USA Today about that 1991 verdict from theadvisory panel: "To date we have not seen anything that would lead usto question the conclusions."FDA officials are still reviewing the documents that were supplied tothe BMJ. To say the least, it will be very interesting to see how theyreact to this damaging information that's still a smoking gun, nearlytwo decades old. And in spite of sticking to their 1991 advisory panelconclusion, they can't really be too shocked. The agency has receivedmany thousands of adverse reaction reports concerning Prozac; morethan any other drug in the agency's history.Where there's a smoking gun, there's fire.****************************************************...and another thingIn the 17th century, noted herbalist Nicholas Culpeper wrote that theherb sage could "heal" the memory, while, "warming and quickening thesenses."Here in the opening days of winter, anything that will warm andquicken my senses sounds very inviting.Culpeper wasn't the only herbalist (and certainly not the first) torecognize that sage can help improve memory. Now – centuries later –scientists believe they know why.An enzyme called acetylcholinesterase (AChE) breaks down a chemicalcalled acetylcholine that is typically deficient in Alzheimer'spatients. Researchers from the Medical Plant Research Centre (MPRC) atthe Universities of Newcastle and Northumbria in the UK have shownthat sage inhibits AChE.A study conducted by researchers at MPRC demonstrates the possibleresults of inhibiting AChE. Researchers gave 44 subjects either sageoil capsules or placebo capsules containing sunflower oil, and thenconducted word recall tests. The group that received sage oil turnedin significantly better test results than subjects that took placebo.However, researchers say that further tests are needed to fullydetermine just how far-reaching sage's effect may be on memory.Sage can be found in health food stores and from many Internet sites.And although sage oil has no known side effects, it would be wise todiscuss this supplement with your doctor or health care providerbefore using it on a regular basis.To Your Good Health,Jenny ThompsonHealth Sciences Institute****************************************************Sources:"Documents Missing From a 10 Year Old Murder Case Sent to the BMJ"Jeanne Lenzer, British Medical Journal, Vol. 329, 12/11/04,bmj.bmjjournals.com"FDA to Review 'Missing' Drug Company Documents" Jeanne Lenzer,British Medical Journal, Vol. 330, 1/1/05"Psychiatrist: Company Hid Prozac, Suicide Link" Marilyn Elias, USAToday, 1/5/05, usatoday.com"Sage Could Make You a Sage" HealthScoutNews, 8/29/03, healthscoutnews.com"Sage Oil Can Improve Memory" Ananova, 8/29/03, ananova.com****************************************************Copyright ©1997-2005 by www.hsibaltimore.com, L.L.C. 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