The Associated Press recently betrayed its bias in a series denouncing CAM/integrative medicine. Many who value integrated medicine were outraged by the following comment, which preceded each of four articles about complementary and alternative medicine published by AP: “EDITOR’S NOTE: Ten years and $2.5 billion in research have found no cures from alternative medicine. Yet… Continue reading Conventional Doctors Claim Integrative Therapies Lack Research, Study
Tag: Crony Capitalism
FDA’s Lax Ways
Despite increasing calls for transparency at the FDA, the agency’s sloppy performance continues to put consumers at risk both medically and financially.
The Light of Day Shines on the Practice of Ghostwriting Articles in Medical Journals
Ghostwriting, defined as the practice of using a professional writing company to draft a manuscript, entered the American lexicon when the Wall Street Journal and the New York Times reported on the actions of Sen. Charles Grassley to conduct a congressional investigation into drug companies’ influence on doctors.
Urgent Action Needed to Ensure that the FDA Does Not Create a Monopoly for Weight Loss Supplements!
Pharmaceutical companies have figured out that the FDA can be reshaped into a tool to increase their profits instead of doing its actual job—screening drugs for safety on behalf of consumers. First, there was the pharmaceutical company assault on your access to vitamin B6. The FDA has now ended your access to one of the… Continue reading Urgent Action Needed to Ensure that the FDA Does Not Create a Monopoly for Weight Loss Supplements!
Vermont Acts to Make Drug Makers’ Gifts Public
Under a new Vermont law, drug and device manufacturers will have to publicly disclose all gifts (in direct payments, speaking and consulting fees, grants, food, lodging and transportation, and books) they make to healthcare providers. The law will require specific disclosure of doctors’ names, dollar amounts, and the medical products to which the spending is… Continue reading Vermont Acts to Make Drug Makers’ Gifts Public
Why Is FDA Protecting the BPA Lobby?
As we have reported in previous issues of Pulse of Health Freedom, bisphenol A (BPA), a chemical in the packaging or contents of many products, may cause long-term health effects, including cancers of the breast, brain and testicles; lowered sperm counts, early puberty and other reproductive system defects; diabetes; attention deficit disorder, asthma, and autism.… Continue reading Why Is FDA Protecting the BPA Lobby?
Conflict of Interest in Conventional Medicine Practice Guidelines
The April 1 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association has an article written by a group of doctors who recommend that medical professional associations adopt stricter conflict of interest guidelines. The new proposals call for associations to refuse general budget support from the industry.
Does the Medical Industry Have a Fundamental Lack of Integrity?
Two recent articles—one in the New York Times, the other in the Wall Street Journal—speak to a crisis of integrity in the medical industry that has led insiders like Dr. Jerome Kassirer of Yale and Tufts to muse that some of their colleagues appear to act as “paid prostitutes for the drug industry.”
“It is Imperative that FDA Take Immediate Steps” to Fix the Broken Review System for Medical Devices
The figure is staggering, the implications sobering. Senator Charles Grassley has revealed that a prominent University of Wisconsin researcher and surgeon has received $19 million over five years from Medtronic, one of the country’s largest medical device manufacturers. Sen. Grassley is investigating potential conflicts of interest in medicine.
Conflicts of Interest at FDA and the New England Journal of Medicine
The US Dept of Health and Human Services inspector general’s report published January 12 said FDA’s screening system is “unreliable” because of researchers’ conflicts of interest. The report focused on 118 new drug applications approved by the FDA in 2007.