Now don’t get me wrong – there is a place for SOME drugs that have been developed and Lord knows our society in general is healthier because of the wonders of drugs…right.. er.. well maybe not. But at least we don’t get the Plague and we have practically eliminated the scourge of germs killing us off for the most part… right? Er.. well maybe not.
Well anyway, there really ARE some good things about pharmaceutical drugs but the problem is – we can’t trust what the FDA is approving and what the drug companies are “studying” any longer. More proof of that came out today about Merck’s Singulair. I paid particular attention to this since I am taking Serevent, which is similar to Singulair in what it treats. However the underlying chemical is not the same.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – U.S. health regulators are probing a possible connection between Merck & Co Inc’s blockbuster Singulair asthma drug and suicidal behavior in adults and children, the Food and Drug Administration said on Thursday.
The FDA said it is reviewing the issue after receiving reports of mood and behavior changes, suicidal thinking and suicide in patients who took the drug, which is used to treat stuffy nose, sneezing and other allergy symptoms, as well as asthma.
I guess now we will find out that yet again, the pharmaceutical company making this drug lied about the test results or covered up some adverse effects yet again – so they could make gobs of money selling to unsuspecting consumers. I believe they calculate the risk of the expected lawsuits when people find out about this corruption and decide the money they will make will offset this cost.
This is what is wrong with the world today. It is profits and greed over humanity and if evolution really works as intended, we are pretty much doing our own species in through it. The harm these greedy pharmaceutical companies do to consumers harms all of us – it harms our trust – it harms the health of many and it ultimately will harm people in their very own family.
In my opinion, ALL drugs, whether prescribed by a doctor or bought at the drugstore off the shelf, should be used like they could hurt you and used in moderation. Another thing taht is worrisome is the fact that many of these drugs are not tested in combination with many other common drugs – for example maybe Advil or an antibiotic or blood pressure medicine. What is the effect when you mix 3 or 4 of these drugs together? Well that’s just too damn hard to study so we are ALL just guinea pigs to the pharmaceutical industry and when an interaction is discovered that they DIDN’T expect, they say WHOOPS! But maybe it’s too late for your mother or father or child now that you have proven a drug interaction. Nothing like being a pioneer eh?
Another drug-gone-wrong story I read recently is about the antibiotic Ketek. Apparently, the drug makers covered up the fact that it can damage the liver. Whoops!
SEP-24-07: The antibiotic Ketek was approved by the FDA more than three years ago, ostensibly to be used for respiratory tract infections. There was no mention of side effects such as liver damage and/or liver failure. Since that time, scandals and treachery—mainly involving study 3014–seem to have held no bounds regarding the drug, its manufacturer and the FDA. Read more
More articles on Ketek and it’s maker Sanofi-Aventis
This is really out of hand, don’t ya think? If this doesn’t make you stop and think twice before being among the first to try a new drug or enroll in a “study” I don’t know what will!
