This has been discussed here several times before. In my opinion,
along with many others, the Seroxat/Paxil scandal is not in any way
an exception, it is the rule. That fact that pharm corp employed
ghostwriters/spin doctors are the last step before publication, has
been hitting the news alot lately. Concerning any recomendation
that your doctor or health care professional makes, he/she needs to
be asked, is he basing his recomendation on independent research or
pharm corp supplied data.
I am including the link to this article or anyone who wants to see
the crosslinks.
Nachum

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/6291773.stm

Drug company 'hid' suicide link

Secret emails reveal that the UK's biggest drug company distorted
trial results of an anti-depressant, covering up a link with suicide
in teenagers.
Panorama reveals that GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) attempted to show that
Seroxat worked for depressed children despite failed clinical trials.

And that GSK-employed ghostwriters influenced 'independent'
academics.

GSK told Panorama: "GSK utterly rejects any suggestion that it has
improperly withheld drug trial information."

Read a statement from GSK
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GSK faces action in the US where bereaved families have joined
together to sue the company.

As a result, GSK has been forced to open its confidential internal
archive.

Karen Barth Menzies is a partner in one of the firms representing
many of the families.

She has examined thousands of the documents which are stored, box
upon box, in an apartment in Malibu, California.

She said: "Even when they have negative studies that show that this
drug Seroxat is going to harm some kids they still spin that study as
remarkably effective and safe for children."

GSK's biggest clinical trial of Seroxat on children was held in the
US in the 1990s and called Study 329.

Child psychiatrist Dr Neal Ryan of the University of Pittsburgh was
paid by GSK as a co-author of Study 329.

In 2002 he also gave a talk on childhood depression at a medical
conference sponsored by GSK.

He said that Seroxat could be a suitable treatment for children and
later told Panorama reporter Shelley Jofre that it probably lowered
rather than raised suicide rates.

In amongst the archive of emails in Malibu, Shelley was surprised to
find that her own emails to Dr Ryan from 2002 asking questions about
the safety of Seroxat had been forwarded to GSK asking for advice on
how to respond to her.

She also found an email from a public relations executive working for
GSK which said: "Originally we had planned to do extensive media
relations surrounding this study until we actually viewed the
results.

"Essentially the study did not really show it was effective in
treating adolescent depression, which is not something we want to
publicise."

But the article was published in the Journal of the American Academy
of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry which says it ranks as number one
in child mental health in the world.

The editor in chief of the British Medical Journal, Fiona Godlee,
said that what she calls the "blind-eye culture of medicine" should
be exposed by professionals.

She has written in response to the Panorama film: "We shouldn't have
to rely on investigative journalists to ask the difficult questions.

"Reputations for sale are reputations at risk. We need to make that
risk so high it's not worth taking."


Read Fiona Godlee's reaction to Panorama
The Medicine and Healthcare Products Regulatory Authority (MHRA)
began a criminal investigation into GSK three years ago but no action
has been taken yet.

A spokesperson told Panorama that the investigation has been given
substantial additional resources and remains a high priority.

Seroxat was banned for under 18s in 2003 after the MHRA, revealed
that GSK's own studies showed the drug actually trebles the risk of
suicidal thoughts and behaviour in depressed children.


Secrets of the Drug Trials will be broadcast on Monday 29 January at
2030 on BBC One and this site.

If you are affected by any of the issues in the programme and would
like to talk to someone in confidence for further information and
support, please call the BBC Action Line on 0800 077 077. Lines open
at 2100 GMT on Monday 29 January for a week and may be busy but the
Action Line will be open from 0730 GMT until 0000 GMT. All calls are
free and confidential.