From Risperidone to Ritalin: Lies. Lies. Lies. And Children Are in Danger.
By Kim Stagliano
Two articles in one week should shake parents of kids with autism, Asperger's and ADHD who are on powerful meds to their core. In the first, we learn that Harvard Psychiatrist Dr. Joseph Biederman promised postitive results to Johnson & Johnson in risperidone testing. (HERE). From the NYT: An influential Harvard child psychiatrist told the drug giant Johnson & Johnson that planned studies of its medicines in children would yield results benefiting the company, according to court documents dating over several years that the psychiatrist wants sealed.
The psychiatrist, Dr. Joseph Biederman, outlined plans to test Johnson & Johnson’s drugs in presentations to company executives. One slide referred to a proposed trial in preschool children of risperidone, an antipsychotic drug made by the drug company. The trial, the slide stated, “will support the safety and effectiveness of risperidone in this age group.”
In the second from the Washington Post (HERE) we learn that ADHD drugs may not work beyond 24 months and - and that this information has been withheld from parents.
The latest data paint a very different picture than the study's positive initial results, reported in 1999.
The mainstream media turns to published studies to choose how to write about autism, Asperger's and ADHD. Pharma uses them to convince doctors what to prescribe. How many children are on risperidone, whch has the trade name Risperdal? Check out the black box warning (HERE). Our elderly are now drugged to smithereens on this product too. Get 'em young! Get 'em old! Drug from birth until they're cold!
Millions of kids have been drugged since they were tots with unproven drugs. But we're the crazies for giving our kids magnesium and fish oil? Where's the outcry? One child dies from a medical error involving chelation and the media pounces on the story. This Haaavud doctor has singlehandedly turned American children in zombies and monsters. Listen to the crickets chirp.
As far as the ADHD drug problems; think of how many American boys and girls are on these drugs for years and years, their parents unaware that the manufacturers knew their efficacy was limited and yet, demanded more market share. And doctors were complicit. It's astounding. I think the DARE program might need to include legally prescribed drugs. Just say no.
Kim Stagliano is Managing Editor of Age of Autism.
The government gives me these harmful meds on purpose in the Oklahoma Government Terrorist facilities to terrorize and severely harm me. Regardless of their inhumanity terror cruel and evil tactics I will continue to advocate for a much better World until someone stops me from ever being able to ever advocate again for a better today, a better tomorrow, and a much brighter future.
Sincerely, Amy Price Oklahoma
Posted by: Amy Price | February 19, 2015 at 03:18 AM
Dix-sept enfants canadiens sont morts alors qu'ils prenaient certains médicaments antipsychotiques de deuxième génération, et 73 autres ont eu des problèmes cardiométaboliques. Santé Canada confirme ces chiffres, mais ne fait aucune recommandation particulière, si ce n'est de rappeler aux médecins d'utiliser leur bon jugement.Six médicaments de deuxième génération sont en cause: clozapine, rispéridone, olanzapine, quétiapine, aripiprazole et paliperidone. Du nombre, seul Abilify (aripiprazole) est approuvé chez les jeunes de moins de 18 ans pour le traitement de la schizophrénie ou du trouble bipolaire.Les données couvrent les décès et les problèmes cardiométaboliques recensés avant le 31 décembre 2012.Tout en confirmant la nouvelle, parue au Canada anglais la semaine dernière, Santé Canada a signalé qu'il n'est pas possible de déterminer précisément si les effets indésirables recensés sont liés précisément à l'utilisation de ces médicaments ou si les incidents ne seraient pas plutôt attribuables à la prise d'autres médicaments ou à l'état de santé de certains de ces jeunes.L'Association des médecins psychiatres du Québec n'a pas rappelé La Presse à ce sujet.
Des prescriptions à long termeLe Dr Joel Paris, professeur de psychiatrie à l'Université McGill, s'est montré très inquiet par le fait que «ces médicaments soient prescrits à de très jeunes enfants» et que l'on tende de plus en plus à les prescrire à très long terme, alors que les enfants sont en plein développement.Il blâme l'industrie pharmaceutique et ses représentants, «de qui les médecins prennent conseil, plutôt que de s'en remettre aux experts».Toutefois, même les experts ne seraient pas toujours fiables, certains «encourageant fortement ces pratiques tout en recevant de l'argent» des entreprises pharmaceutiques, dénonce le Dr Paris.«Je crois que Santé Canada devrait lancer un avertissement à propos de ces pratiques, ajoute le Dr Paris. Certains problèmes de comportement inquiètent grandement les parents, mais ils doivent savoir qu'il existe des solutions de rechange, la psychoéducation, par exemple.»Au Québec, il n'a pas été possible de savoir précisément combien de ces antipsychotiques de deuxième génération sont prescrits. Ce que l'on sait, par contre, c'est que les enfants prennent de plus en plus d'antipsychotiques de façon générale.Ainsi, selon des données de la Régie de l'assurance maladie du Québec, le nombre d'ordonnances d'antipsychotiques a particulièrement explosé pour les enfants de 10 à 14 ans et ceux de 15 à 18 ans. Dans le premier groupe, il a doublé entre 2005 et 2012 (de 20 837 à 40 701 ordonnances); il a presque triplé pour les 15 à 18 ans (de 18 421 à 51 928 ordonnances)
http://www.lapresse.ca/actualites/sante/201305/22/01-4653423-mort-suspecte-de-17-enfants-des-antipsychotiques-soupconnes.php
Posted by: aline | September 14, 2013 at 02:38 PM
I found this article searching for risperidone and autism.
We have a 6-year-old with autism who has come a long way in the last two years thanks to chelation, omega 3's, a gluten free casein free diet, early intervention therapies, increased vitamin b and d, and just about anything natural we could get out hands on. Now he's talking, potty trained, and even socializing (though not so appropriately).
Unfortunately his behaviors have gotten worse, despite all the therapies. Some of his behavioral are due to his sensory issues, but it's very hard to find occupational therapy for the type of sensory issues he has, though we're trying everything and haven't given up yet.
This is all difficuly, and since he's high functioning (now, wasn't always) people often think he's just a bad kid. It's gotten to the point where he is a danger to himself and others. He's breaking windows (now his younger brother is copying him to do the same), he is hitting people in the face with objects (did this so badly to his 3yo that we can to call paramedics to make sure there wasn't a concussion). And this has recently become a daily occurrence.
For this reason, we opened ourselves up to medication. We've tried a few that haven't helped (some made him worse) and now we are trying risperidone. Of course, no matter what decisions we make with our children, we're often judged, even by other parents with autisic children. Sometimes it feels like you have no one on your side at all. That said, I do hope the need for medication is temporary, that through it he will get more from his behavioral therapy and occupation therapy and eventually be able to control himself without the use of medication. The doctors have been great, starting on the very lowest dose first, as they DON'T want our son to be a zombie. In fact, that is largely in part why he came off one of the medications he was on before.
While there may be times that the use of medication is unnecessary, I don't think it's always the case of people just sticking a bandaid on things and turning their kids into zombies. Some of us just need the bandaid to stop the bleeding and protect the wound from infection until it heals enough to be able to be left uncovered. It doesn't mean we're all using stitches where a bandaid would do, either. We do the least invasive things we can do to keep our children and those around them safe.
I promise you, we aren't ALL bad guys. Though of course, some may disagree. And that's why many parents like us are alone in struggles.
Posted by: Shana | November 18, 2011 at 09:49 AM
My son is Autistic and is on Risperidone and his mood swings, agressive behavior towards himself and others has declined significantly. He is not a zombie and he does have his good days and bad days but he is now a functioning coherent 7 year old who has the ability to listen and repond with others almost normally. Thank God for the drug because I was at the end of my rope. I heard horror stories about all kinds of drugs and yes, some children respond negatively... WHy take it away from a child that responds posatively?
Posted by: AAdams | August 10, 2010 at 06:43 PM
risperidone is poisen. Psychiatry is a total fraud. Psychiatriasts are barbarians and insurance fraud artists.
Posted by: Sizzlerguy | June 26, 2010 at 04:43 AM
I am very sorry what you are going through with your son.
You sound like you feel you are out of options.
I hear you that you need to work and don't have the luxury of staying home and dealing with your son's behavioral issues.
Please consider possibly trying a psych med on a temporary basis with having no intention of keeping your son on that med for an extended period of time. The long term effects of these drugs are not good.
I have worked with dan! doctors who have suggested using a med as a temporary solution while figuring out the underlying causes.
You mention your son is gluten free. What does the rest of his diet look like? What other things have you looked into? My son has slow motility issues with his bowels and he gets very aggressive and self-injurious when he is backed up. What about allergies? envrionmental or food senstivies. This time of year my son's environmental allergies are off the chart and it's important to make sure for him that he is not eating things that are compounding his allergy issues. Have you ever read "Is this your child" by Doris Rapp MD.? I suggest you might want to look into the allergy issue. In that book she describes horrible behavioral reactions kids have to allergies. How about acid reflux? That may be a cause as to why your son is having trouble sleeping. Burning acid could be causing him to have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep.
There can be so many physical reasons your son is behaving the way he is. Putting him on a pysch med will not stop those problems. A drug like that may temporarily help or it may not. I have read several accounts of kids going on meds and all kinds of outcomes happen. Good, bad, and in between. A honeymoon period sometimes and then all hell breaks loose. A lot of parents get talked into trying one drug and the next thing you know your child is on a bunch of drugs because each drug seems to bring side effects that need addressed. It can be an endless Merry-go-round.
I know this is hard and I understand you are a single mom and want to seek a quick solution. You have to work. You need your son to be able to go somewhere while you are working.
I applaude you for all the things you are doing to try and calm your son.
I think you need some behavioral assistence in how to handle your son's behaviors and also a doctor who will work with you to figure out what the underlying issues are for your son.
My own experience has taught me time and time again- behaviors stem from one of 2 things- physical pain and an inability to express that pain in an appropriate way.
It is our very difficult job to figure out what is going on. I know you are trying. Please don't give up trying. Psych meds are not the panacea people want to think they are. They can be deadly.
Posted by: For Worried Mom | May 13, 2010 at 09:05 AM
So what do you suggest for my son? I have considered behavioral medication for a year now, very hesitant, but feel I have no other choice. He is 6 years old. He bites, hits, pushes, pinches...throws chairs and even tables, pulls pictures from the wall and throws them and breaks them...runs and screams - completely out of control. He eats nonfood items. Sometimes only sleeps a few hours at a time. I encourage 2 naps a day, surely he is acting this way from lack of sleep? It doesnt help. I have tried melatonin to help him rest. Chamomile to calm. He is gluten free. Massage, deep pressure, calming music therapy. You name it. There is no daycare within 30 miles that will accept him. I am single and have to work. So what next?
Posted by: Worried Mom | May 13, 2010 at 01:53 AM
I agree completely. My daughter had horrible separation anxiety and cried incessantly. The teachers said she displayed "ADHD" type symptoms and that I needed an evaluation. And I quote "That way you can get her on meds and she is easier to manage..." I knew better, and started working with her. Showing her what appropriate behavior at school is. Four years later, she is an A B student and the crying, whimpering bouts are non existent. We have to take back our kids. Any kid that doesn't immediately fall in line, the schools and doctors want to medicate. What the heck is going on? These damn politicians are bank rolled by big pharma and pass laws that support pharma instead of putting their feet to the fire. We need to start making some noise. Our children are the victims of all of this and THEY are the one's who ultimately pay!!!
Posted by: Ruth | April 22, 2009 at 11:45 PM
The new trick they seem do be doing here in Maine is to also slap the ADHD label on kids with ASD. And then of course suggest one of the ADHD drugs. I actually had a mom tell me one developmental pediatrician did this and said her 6 yo son's autistic behaviors is from the untreated ADHD. She wanted to treat the ADHD and see what happened to the ASD symptoms. WTF-huh?
I am with you on the hypocrisy of it all. Maybe we need to start pushing the 'quack' word around when we hear these cases.
Posted by: Becky | March 30, 2009 at 01:49 PM
From the NY Times article:
In a contentious Feb. 26 deposition between Dr. Biederman and lawyers for the states, he was asked what rank he held at Harvard. “Full professor,” he answered.
“What’s after that?” asked a lawyer, Fletch Trammell.
“God,” Dr. Biederman responded.
“Did you say God?” Mr. Trammell asked.
“Yeah,” Dr. Biederman said.
Posted by: In God We Trust? | March 30, 2009 at 09:03 AM
Oops - My "P.S." was meant to be to my comment on "The Big Fart".
Posted by: Twyla | March 29, 2009 at 11:20 AM
P.S. Of course, you could say that we are not trying to change them, but to help them be who they really are...
Posted by: Twyla | March 29, 2009 at 02:45 AM
Oh for crying out loud, what causes psychotic behavior? Lead, Mercury, Aluminum, Infections like Lyme (think of the Chimpanzee gone bananas no pun intended), Herpes 6 in the temporal lobes, Chylamidia P, Lesions on your brain and immune processes or other lovely infections (heard H pylori can, even Klebsiella, Citrobacter and PSeudonomes, Parasites, etc ,, low oxygen and glucose in the brain (blame lovely mitochondrial disorders for that one), and last but not leastly (and there are probably more just not remembering all) opiod peptides from gluten and milk (aka, the poison dart frog hallucinagens)...so, let's get real...the solution? The things mother nature has in it's arsenals such as changing the diet, getting phase one and phase two detox to work, and treating infections and heavy metal toxicity, not pharmaceuticals that repress and aggregate the problems (for an example SSRI often ruin the uptake of serotonin over time)...but given, I know moms have to use this SOMETIMES for sanity, and for the child to not beat themselves to oblivian...but again, ARE THEY IN PAIN? YEPPERS...DO THEY HAVE A REASON for the beahvior, YA no duh? Head banging? WHY, PAIN. etc etc etc. Clean the gut? Yeppers, etc etc...
Our society is so fast to grab a purple, pink and psycedelic pill sometimes...sometimes we really do need to know the etiology to our kids problems, not bandaid them....
Posted by: Kathy Blanco | March 28, 2009 at 10:33 PM
Google the reports of the shooting sprees carried out by young males. Most of these boys and young men were on mind-altering drugs.....most of them SSRI's.
Posted by: CT teacher | March 28, 2009 at 06:59 PM
We need to remember that the child who died from "Chelation" actually died from a medical mistake, the wrong drug was used. It would not have happened if the drug used was the right one. I worry that the misinformation that was widespread in the media and is still mentioned nearly everytime chelation and autism are used in the same paragraph is holding people back from considering a potentially helpful therapy for their child.
Posted by: Maria Durci | March 28, 2009 at 08:44 AM
Personally, I refuse to give those responsible for my son's autism a "second bite at the apple". All of JR's improvements, and there have been MANY are because of three things, the school he attends, the supplements he's on, and the aging process. No drug cartel poisons have entered my son's body since his last vaccine at 19 months of age. He's 11 now and the response to the supplements and school have been so grand he's gone from severely autistic to mildly autistic based on a recent (within the past 2 months) C.A.R.S.
Would I trust the drug cartels ever again? Hell no, and I don't understand those that do either.
Posted by: Deborah (www.debstake,wordpress.com) | March 27, 2009 at 10:51 PM
I especially like the slant/stab at the end of the Washington Post article regarding parents' "failure" to obtain the recommended behavioral therapy to help their kids. I feel sorry for parents of ADHD kids, because I think, even more so than autism, they are often blamed for their kids’ behavior. Never mind that behavioral intervention is not widely available or easily accessible to working parents. And the schools certainly aren’t providing behaviorally based individualized instruction to help these kids. In our community, the schools drive most of the prescription writing. And insurance companies don’t want to cover behavioral intervention because it is an educational methodology. Go figure. They talk about 95% of parents seeking behavioral therapy when their doctors recommend it before medication. I wonder what percent it would be if doctors recommended diet, nutrition, and supplements before medication (probably closer to 100%). Unfortunately, there was no mention of the cause of ADHD or these treatments in the article, and probably no mention of it in most doctors’ or psychiatrists’ offices, either. Sad to see such a heated debate, and the real issues aren’t even on the table --
Posted by: mlinn | March 27, 2009 at 09:57 PM
What must it be like to sell your soul and peddle death to children?
Posted by: Terri Lewis | March 27, 2009 at 08:58 PM
"Jensen and co-author Benedetto Vitiello at the NIMH said drugs *may not* have shown an overall long-term benefit because the quality of routine care children received *may have been* inferior to the care they got during the initial part of the study. Jensen said the take-home message was that community care needs improvement."
Did ya notice the "slight-of-hand-deflect-to-reject" effect??
Drugs + Good Initial Care = Good Short-Term Benefits
Drugs + Inferior Post Care = Bad Long-Term Benefits
Conclusion: It's not the drugs, stupid -- it's the care!
Posted by: Kelli Ann Davis -- The Deflect To Reject Effect | March 27, 2009 at 05:58 PM
Sky was put on Risperdal at thirteen. His mother posted this on a yahoo group about it- he also started seeing a psychiatrist then too.
November 19, 2003
My son had been medication free until 5 weeks ago. He was experiencing
problems related to autism and puberty. He is now on 1 mg of Risperdal a
day. So far so good. He is happier and the aggression, which had never
been a problem, is basically under control. There has been no weight gain.
I have heard anecdotal evidence that can be a problem. Our son just turned
13 and is 5'6", 130 lbs. He is not a small child so I was concerned about
weight gain. The medication is available in a sublingual form so that is
good if your son has trouble swallowing pills. Some other things to
consider. It is very, very expensive. I hope you have good insurance.
Also, our family doctor has agreed to manage the medication, but wants a
visit every month. He also wants our son to see the child psychiatrist at
least 3 or 4 times a year. Feel free to contact me off list if you want
more information.
Posted by: Andrea | March 27, 2009 at 05:41 PM
I'm sorry....putting a preschooler on anti-psych drugs? For what? Let's see--your 3-year old autistic child is having a rough day: the noise is too much- drug him...the lights are too bright--drug him...he can't stand the touch of grass on his hands--drug him...he can't sit still at story time...drug him! Have any of these doctors heard of Occam's Razor? Unless it's a pseudonym for the latest anti-psychosis drug...probably not. Truly, madness. Are there any mainstream medical docs who are this pro-drug that are NOT complete shills for Big Pharma? Doubt it.
Posted by: Julie Swenson | March 27, 2009 at 05:19 PM
Thanks for the heads up. I think some bad things are coming down the pike if this isn't put into check.
Before 1940 or 1950, schizophrenia wasn't particularly clinically associated with violence. People with schizophrenia were statistically no more prone to violence than the general population. These days, the stereotype of the violent schizophrenic is pretty universal. Some psychiatric historians noted that the shift in "criteria" for the disorder happened precisely at the time when major sedatives and then neuroleptics went into wide use in institutions and outpatient treatment. Schizophrenics on the drugs would display increasingly bizarre behavior and poorer outcomes which are now also attributed to the "disease".
I think the same thing is going to happen with autism if we don't stay on top of it. Traits brought about by the "standard treatment" for autism will then be "absorbed" into the diagnostic criteria for the disorder and will enter popular understanding of the disease.
This won't just be for individuals chronically exposed to the drugs, either. It can happen from one-time exposure, which makes the behavior even more difficult to trace to cause. There was a particular Eli Lilly drug study in the late 90's in which a fourteen year old girl with mild symptoms of OCD (which was diagnosed because she was anxious about homework) was in a group being given Prozac. Within two weeks on a low dose, the girl became irreversibly, violently and suicidally psychotic and she's apparently still institutionalized. This is not an isolated incident, just one that got "leaked" out of Lilly's "inconvenient study outcomes" vaults because a plaintiff expert witness got their hands on the company data.
I read that (this must only apply outside the biomed realm) close to 100% of children with autism are put on one or multiple psych drugs. I suspect that this is one reason we're going to hear of more cases of autistic children committing violent acts as they come of age. In some cases, they'll say, well, the individual wasn't ON drugs at the time they committed violence, leaving out the fact that the individual may HAVE been at one time. There's also some clinical reasons to believe that children with autism may be more susceptible to drug side effects than NT kids, who already have a high rate of drug-induced mania and psychosis (7- 10%).
Of course mainstream scientific revisionists are going to tell us that homicidal violence is part and parcel with autism, just like they did for schizophrenia. What I think is sort of interesting is how they're then going to keep arguing that these "traits" are genetic. It's one thing to define autism parents, grandparents and forebears as "nerdy" or "quirky"-- they don't need proof. But violent crime in family history is at least somewhat quantifiable through parental police records, etc. As it will turn out, the evidence won't exist that autism families had more violent histories than the general population.
Posted by: Gatogorra | March 27, 2009 at 01:40 PM
There have been many times I would have killed for a pill.
We have definitely taken the road less traveled, testing and supporting with supplements and diet.
I have no regrets.
Yeast is gone, food allergies are down to 1 and school is going so well now, all with zero adverse effects.
The amount of psych meds doled out to kids today is quite frightening.
Friends who have gone this route, all end up on a cocktail of things to focus, sleep and do well in school. Some of the meds not even established as safe for children.
No thanks.
Posted by: karenatlanta | March 27, 2009 at 01:34 PM
I am seeking employment and would like nothing more than a job lobbying the Kansas legislatures in Topeka and Washington toward listening to the truth about the dangers of misinformation and half truth that are keeping our own Autism patients, like my six year old boy, from affordable insurance, inappropriate special education cuts and the misguiding of parents, who are being , misled and outright lied to toward thinking government opinion is fact. I remember getting nowhere with the VA, when misdirection of funding lead me to get help elsewhere when Gulf War Illness almost killed me.
Posted by: Kevin | March 27, 2009 at 01:24 PM
Oh, hey! Hi! I'm no longer talking to my mother and sister because I should be beating my child when he "misbehaves". Why isn't he on drugs?
It's such an insult to them that I'm rejecting their pasta and birthday cake, because the food allergies are all in my head (even though I gave everyone copies of the tests so they know what to avoid). Needless to say, they don't watch my son.
We're fighting family, friends, Big Businesses, Corporate-owned media and celebrities.
My husband read this as a boost for our side, and I said watch how quickly they discredit any doctor who opposes long-term use of drugs on kids. They'll "kill the messenger" to justify the message is false.
Kim, can you find a way for us to click and link to our FB accounts? We may lose some "friends", but maybe we'll reach a couple more open minds.
Posted by: Deb in IL | March 27, 2009 at 01:19 PM
Another helpful resource/website/book to stay informed...
Medication Madness (2008)
A Psychiatrist Exposes the Dangers of Mood-Altering Drugs
by Peter Breggin, M.D.
St. Martin's Press 2008
Medication Madness reads like a medical thriller, true crime story, and courtroom drama; but it is firmly based in the latest scientific research and dozens of case studies. The lives of the children and adults in these stories, as well as the lives of their families and their victims, were thrown into turmoil and sometimes destroyed by the unanticipated effects of psychiatric drugs. In some cases our entire society was transformed by the tragic outcomes.
Many categories of psychiatric drugs can cause potentially horrendous reactions.
Prozac, Paxil, Zoloft, Adderall, Ritalin, Concerta, Xanax, lithium, Zyprexa and other psychiatric medications may spellbind patients into believing they are improved when too often they are becoming worse. Psychiatric drugs drive some people into psychosis, mania, depression, suicide, agitation, compulsive violence and loss of self-control without the individuals realizing that their medications have deformed their way of thinking and feeling.
http://www.breggin.com/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=55&Itemid=42
Posted by: PeripheralPerspectives | March 27, 2009 at 01:02 PM
ADHD Help
www.TheEasyEssay.com is a free program that is being used from Special Services Education to college education, FCAT, SAT, ACT test preparation, home schooling, and educational rehabilitation, as well as in business for concise, organized and targeted memos, speeches, reports, and recommendations.
As a former English teacher, I am aware of how hard teachers try to teach students to write essays. We applaud their efforts. In an effort to help, we are offering this as a free service so that everyone can take advantage of its simplicity and put their time and energy to a greater and better good.
Posted by: barry morse | March 27, 2009 at 12:07 PM
So, the kids are injured by vaccines then drugged with dangerous drugs, while the parents are "demonized" and "isolated. Is this all purposely orchestrated? Look at history and we have our answer.
Posted by: T4 | March 27, 2009 at 11:46 AM
I allowed through the comment with the Salon piece - I'd read it myself and wow, what a story. But Salon is NO friend to the autism community - they beat us up at every turn regarding Vaccine Safety. So they get no formal linkage from moi.
Posted by: Stagmom | March 27, 2009 at 11:39 AM
And here's article #3... a first-hand account of the horrors of drugging a 17 y.o. with ASD.
http://www.salon.com/mwt/feature/2007/05/18/autism_misdiagnosis/index.html
Posted by: Amy Becker Clark | March 27, 2009 at 11:26 AM
Our health system, the whole building, is rotten at the core and will soon collapse like our financial giants. Related to the Risperdal scandal, just this morning I heard the following news from my "formerly" beloved NPR:
'Mr. Trouper Daug' Dupes Health Regulators
NPR.org, March 26, 2009 · A Frisbee-chasing, three-legged German shepherd named Trooper played a starring role at a congressional hearing Thursday, but not for the usual canine tricks. Instead, the dog was something of a hero, a key player in a yearlong sting operation set up by the Government Accountability Office to catch lax health regulators in the act.
Trooper went undercover last year as "Mr. Trouper Daug," the fake CEO of a fake "institutional review board" or IRB. The GAO has been worried for some time about the unsupervised rise of commercial IRBs.
These are companies that hire doctors and scientists to review and evaluate the testing methods of a drug or device that's being tested in humans. In contrast, in the hospitals and university medical schools where most medical research is conducted, the members of these panels are volunteers and governed by tighter guidelines. The safety of academic IRBs was not in question at the hearing.
Under the dog's name, GAO investigators were able to register the fake company with the Department of Health and Human Services. The fake firm even successfully used that registration as a marketing tool, luring companies eager to test new drugs by touting its review services as cheap and quick. No regulator from HHS ever checked out the legitimacy of the company in any way.
More at:
http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=102393652
Posted by: WE SHALL OVERCOME | March 27, 2009 at 11:24 AM