Pharmaceutical companies deceive public

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Pharmaceutical companies deceive public

By Mark Lemstra, Special to The

StarPhoenix

July 29, 2010

Read more: http://www.thestarphoenix.com/news/Pharmaceutical+companies+deceive+public/3336124/story.html#ixzz0v5G56YZP

We could save $2 billion a year on health-care costs in Saskatchewan

while improving health outcomes if we adopt evidence-based protocols.

To do so, we need to find about $40 million of efficiency in each of

about 50 areas.

This is the third article in a five-part series on depression. My

first column discussed the limitations in diagnosing depression. The

second presented literature reviews that concluded antidepressants are

no more effective than placebos in treating depression.

This column explains how the drug companies deceive us. Let's start

with some general information and proceed to specific examples for

antidepressants.

In 2008, the editor of the New England Journal of Medicine wrote an

editorial for the Journal of the American Medical Association, titled:

Industry sponsored research: A broken system?

Based on her tenure as the editor of the world's most prestigious

medical journal, Dr. Marcia Angell made some accusations. She wrote

that drug companies often design studies, conduct the data analysis,

decide which data will be included or suppressed, write the papers, pay

for prestigious clinicians to put their name on papers already written

by the drug company, and then decide how and when the paper will be

published.

Dr. Angell concluded: "Drug companies now finance most clinical

research on prescription drugs, and there is mounting evidence that

they often skew the research they sponsor to make their drugs look

better and safer. Physicians can no longer rely on the medical

literature for valid and reliable information."

She also published a best selling and award-winning novel, The Truth

about Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us and What to Do About It.

Let's look at some examples from anti-depressants.

A research team from the United States, which was skeptical about

the benefits of antidepressants, used the Freedom of Information Act to

obtain results from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for all

placebo-controlled trials. The team was startled to learn that 40 per

cent of the studies had been suppressed because of negative results.

When all the studies were included, incorporating the negative

studies, the authors concluded that "antidepressants are little more

than active placebos, drugs with very little specific benefit, but with

serious side-effects."

The resulting publication in Prevention and Treatment made headlines

around the world. And although regulatory agencies in Europe have begun

to respond, there has been no response in North America.

At this point, let's discuss the potential side-effects of

antidepressants in a review from Harvard Medical School, titled: What

are the real risks of antidepressants?

The most serious of these includes the increased risk of attempted

suicide, especially among children. Other side-effects include

insomnia, skin rashes, headaches, joint and muscle pain, stomach upset,

nausea, diarrhea, reduced blood clotting capacity, stomach bleeding,

uterine bleeding, tics, muscle spasms, trembling limbs, restlessness,

severe anxiety, reduced sexual interest, reduced sexual performance,

reduced sexual satisfaction, disturbed heart rhythms and reduced liver

function.

There are also complications when antidepressants are taken with

other drugs, and there is a long list of side-effects when

antidepressant use is discontinued, including dizziness, loss of

co-ordination, fatigue, burning sensations, blurred vision, insomnia,

vivid dreams, nausea, diarrhea, flu-like symptoms, irritability,

anxiety and crying spells.

Recently, the antidepressant Serzone was removed from the market

after it was associated with hepatitis and liver failure.

The most worrisome side-effect is the increased risk of suicide

attempt so let's take a closer look.

Another review from the Food and Drug Administration found that not

only do antidepressants provide no benefit to children, but the drugs

are associated with a 50 per cent increase in suicidal behaviour.

Regrettably, these negative results, too, were buried by the drug

companies.

In an editorial in the Canadian Medical Association Journal titled

Drug Company Experts Advised Staff to Withhold Data about SSRI Use in

Children, and an editorial in The Lancet titled Depressing Research,

the authors express regret that drug companies put profits ahead of the

health of vulnerable children.

So why are antidepressants still prescribed given that they are no

more effective than placebos, and are associated with a long list of

side-effects? How can it be that antidepressants generate sales of $20

billion annually?

Next week's column continues the discussion of how drug companies

manipulate us.

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