Date this leaflet was prepared: June 2003
© 2003 GlaxoSmithKline group of companies Seroxat and the Seroxat tablet shape and colours areregistered trademarks of the GlaxoSmithKline group of companies
Possible side-effects when stopping treatment:
Studies show that 1 in 4 people notice some symptoms
on stopping Seroxat compared to 1 in 7 patients after
stopping sugar pills. For the majority of people
symptoms go away on their own within 2 weeks.
When stopping Seroxat your doctor may ask you to
reduce the dose very gradually using half tablets and
then alternating days if necessary. If the dose is not
reduced gradually there is more chance of
experiencing side-effects. If you get severe unwanted
side-effects when you stop taking Seroxat, please see
your doctor. Your doctor may ask you to start taking
your tablets again and come off them more slowly.
Your doctor may decide that it is easier for you to take
Seroxat liquid during the time that you are coming off
your medicine.
If you do get side-effects, it does not mean that you
will not be able to stop Seroxat.
For those people that do get side-effects when they
stop taking Seroxat, common side-effects that could
happen to more than 1 in 100 people but less than 1 in
10 people are:
• Dizziness (feeling dizzy, unsteady or off-balance)
• Sensory disturbances including pins and needles,
burning sensations and less commonly electric
shock-like sensations (including such sensations in
the head)
• Sleep disturbances (vivid dreams, nightmares,
inability to sleep)
• Feeling anxious
Uncommon side-effects that could happen to more than 1
in 1000 people but less than 1 in 100 people when
stopping treatment are:
• Nausea (feeling sick)
• Sweating (including night sweats)
• Agitation
• Tremor (shakiness)
• Confusion (feeling confused or disorientated)
Please see your doctor if you are worried about sideeffects
when taking or stopping Seroxat.
http://www.seroxatusergroup.org.uk/Documents/latestseroxatPIL.pdf
Saturday, 22 May 2010
Police join Scientology / CCHR board of advisors
CCHR FAQ: Board of AdvisorsPeter Bennet, retired police superintendent with a diploma in Criminology. ... director of The Block Center in Dallas, Texas, author of No More ADHD, U.S. ...
www.cchr.org/faq/board-of-advisors.html - Cached
www.cchr.org/faq/board-of-advisors.html - Cached
Wednesday, 19 May 2010
Scientology gifts accepted by police
Police officers accepted gifts from Church of ScientologyBy BEN TAYLOR
Dozens of police officers have accepted film premiere tickets, banquet invitations and the use of a jazz band from the controversial Church of Scientology, it has emerged.
The wealthy religious movement has spent thousands of pounds cultivating contacts in the City of London police.
Officers have received sought-after free invitations to film premieres and £500-a-head charity dinners where the guest of honour is Hollywood superstar and renowned Scientologist, Tom Cruise.
They have even been provided with the free use of a £5,000-a-night jazz band to play for officers and guests at a police station function.
As a result of the revelations, an internal review of the force's hospitality policy has been launched.
The officers who have accepted freebies from the church - which has been accused of "brainwashing" their converts - range in rank from constable to chief superintendent. It is understood they include a member of the force's Special Branch.
The details were obtained by a Freedom of Information request made by the Daily Mail - requesting details of all hospitality accepted by officers since July last year. Many more officers are said to have turned down the offers.
Sources inside the City of London Police have described the church as "grooming" selected officers in the hope of winning powerful influence inside the force. But nearly all the offers received official approval from senior officers at the City of London - which has just fought off government plans to merge it with the Metropolitan Police.
Other forces in Britain have banned their staff from having any contact with the church - which holds that humans are descended from an exiled race of aliens called Thetans.
The church openly targeted the force in the run-up to the opening of a £24 million centre in the City which was unveiled in a blaze of publicity last month.
During the ceremony, the force was criticised for sending one of its most senior officers to welcome the scientologists to their new home.
Chief Superintendent Kevin Hurley told the audience that the church, which has been the subjected of repeated investigations by the FBI since it was founded in the 1954 by science fiction writer L Ron Hubbard, was a "force for good" and was "raising the spiritual wealth of society".
His presence at the ceremony was later explained away by the force who said he was their lead officer on "faith issues" and indeed there is no suggestion that Mr Hurley has personally benefited from any hospitality.
But sources within the force say that the church began targeting officers in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings last year when it provided free refreshments to officers manning the police cordon at the scene of the Aldgate blast.
Since then, the Daily Mail can reveal, officers have accepted at least nine offers of formal hospitality. They include a trip for two constables and a sergeant to the premiere of Mission Impossible 3 in London's Leicester Square earlier this year.
The film's star, Tom Cruise, was present at the screening although it is unclear whether the City trio met the Hollywood actor.
Six months later, a further four officers attended a lavish charity dinner at the scientologists' British base in East Grinstead, East Sussex. They included Chief Superintendent Ken Stewart, a Special Branch detective, a constable and a detective constable.
Again, Cruise was present and he and his fellow diners feasted on foie gras, Aberdeen Angus beef and a dessert of chocolate, passion fruit and papaya tart.
The price per head that evening started at £500 and went up to £1,500 for VIP guests, who were able to sit near Cruise.
Three days later, another four officers - including two sergeants - enjoyed a 'Jive Aces' concert, courtesy of the church.
The same band, who music industry sources say can charge up to £5,000 a night, had previously given their services free to a concert at Bishopsgate police station for a fund raising event.
In addition, the scientologists have made donations of £6,250 to the City of London Children's Charity.
Last night Audrey Chaytor, of the Family Action Information Resource Centre, which works with families who have been indoctrinated into cults, said: 'This is appalling. Police officers should not be accepting these kind of invitations.
'The scientologists have one motive when they are doing this and that is to gain influence in the corridors of power.
"I cannot believe the police have been so naive."
A City of London Police spokesman said: "We are conducting a review to ensure that all members of staff are aware of the force policy on accepting hospitality an to assess whether clarification or amendment of this
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-417782/Police-officers-accepted-gifts-Church-Scientology.html#ixzz0oMAobkXI
Dozens of police officers have accepted film premiere tickets, banquet invitations and the use of a jazz band from the controversial Church of Scientology, it has emerged.
The wealthy religious movement has spent thousands of pounds cultivating contacts in the City of London police.
Officers have received sought-after free invitations to film premieres and £500-a-head charity dinners where the guest of honour is Hollywood superstar and renowned Scientologist, Tom Cruise.
They have even been provided with the free use of a £5,000-a-night jazz band to play for officers and guests at a police station function.
As a result of the revelations, an internal review of the force's hospitality policy has been launched.
The officers who have accepted freebies from the church - which has been accused of "brainwashing" their converts - range in rank from constable to chief superintendent. It is understood they include a member of the force's Special Branch.
The details were obtained by a Freedom of Information request made by the Daily Mail - requesting details of all hospitality accepted by officers since July last year. Many more officers are said to have turned down the offers.
Sources inside the City of London Police have described the church as "grooming" selected officers in the hope of winning powerful influence inside the force. But nearly all the offers received official approval from senior officers at the City of London - which has just fought off government plans to merge it with the Metropolitan Police.
Other forces in Britain have banned their staff from having any contact with the church - which holds that humans are descended from an exiled race of aliens called Thetans.
The church openly targeted the force in the run-up to the opening of a £24 million centre in the City which was unveiled in a blaze of publicity last month.
During the ceremony, the force was criticised for sending one of its most senior officers to welcome the scientologists to their new home.
Chief Superintendent Kevin Hurley told the audience that the church, which has been the subjected of repeated investigations by the FBI since it was founded in the 1954 by science fiction writer L Ron Hubbard, was a "force for good" and was "raising the spiritual wealth of society".
His presence at the ceremony was later explained away by the force who said he was their lead officer on "faith issues" and indeed there is no suggestion that Mr Hurley has personally benefited from any hospitality.
But sources within the force say that the church began targeting officers in the aftermath of the July 7 bombings last year when it provided free refreshments to officers manning the police cordon at the scene of the Aldgate blast.
Since then, the Daily Mail can reveal, officers have accepted at least nine offers of formal hospitality. They include a trip for two constables and a sergeant to the premiere of Mission Impossible 3 in London's Leicester Square earlier this year.
The film's star, Tom Cruise, was present at the screening although it is unclear whether the City trio met the Hollywood actor.
Six months later, a further four officers attended a lavish charity dinner at the scientologists' British base in East Grinstead, East Sussex. They included Chief Superintendent Ken Stewart, a Special Branch detective, a constable and a detective constable.
Again, Cruise was present and he and his fellow diners feasted on foie gras, Aberdeen Angus beef and a dessert of chocolate, passion fruit and papaya tart.
The price per head that evening started at £500 and went up to £1,500 for VIP guests, who were able to sit near Cruise.
Three days later, another four officers - including two sergeants - enjoyed a 'Jive Aces' concert, courtesy of the church.
The same band, who music industry sources say can charge up to £5,000 a night, had previously given their services free to a concert at Bishopsgate police station for a fund raising event.
In addition, the scientologists have made donations of £6,250 to the City of London Children's Charity.
Last night Audrey Chaytor, of the Family Action Information Resource Centre, which works with families who have been indoctrinated into cults, said: 'This is appalling. Police officers should not be accepting these kind of invitations.
'The scientologists have one motive when they are doing this and that is to gain influence in the corridors of power.
"I cannot believe the police have been so naive."
A City of London Police spokesman said: "We are conducting a review to ensure that all members of staff are aware of the force policy on accepting hospitality an to assess whether clarification or amendment of this
Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-417782/Police-officers-accepted-gifts-Church-Scientology.html#ixzz0oMAobkXI
Tuesday, 18 May 2010
Scientologists enlist police to push antidrugs drive in schoolAnna Mikhailova Recommend? POLICE officers across the country have been used by the Church of Scientology to promote its antidrugs campaign in schools.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/education/article3216965.ece
Officers have been handing out booklets that praise the science fiction writer L Ron Hubbard, the church’s founder, and describe both prescription and illegal drugs as “poison”.
Scientologists say they are so trusted by the police that they have been asked to act as adult representatives for young people arrested on drugs offences.
One of the booklets handed out by Metropolitan police on behalf of the church’s Say No to Drugs campaign said Hubbard was creator of “the safest, most effective - and only - detoxification procedure of its kind”.
In total 1m booklets are distributed each year. They label alcohol and antidepressants as “poison” and say that oxycodone, a prescription painkiller, is “as powerful as heroin”.
A booklet on heroin says methadone, the drug used by the NHS to treat heroin addicts, is as dangerous as the class A drug and should not be prescribed.
Martin Barnes, of DrugScope, the drugs information charity, said: “These booklets fall short and should not be allowed in schools.”
Met officers have attended meetings in London and West Sussex hosted by the church, aimed at forging links with “community leaders”. They were briefed about the Say No to Drugs campaign and given information packs - although Scotland Yard said working with the church should not be seen as an endorsement.
Patrick Mercer, a Tory MP on the home affairs select committee, said: “If the information is misleading or inaccurate, then the police should simply not be distributing it.”
Ian Howarth, founder of the Cult Information Centre, said: “The booklets may lead some readers to venture closer to Scientology than might be wise.”
The booklets recommend the controversial charity Narconon as the best way to recover from drug abuse. Last year The Sunday Times revealed Scientology’s links with the charity, which had been using Hubbard’s methods to tackle drug abuse.
Last autumn the City of London police carried out an inquiry after some 20 officers accepted Scientology hospitality that included tickets to the Leicester Square premiere of Mission Impossible III, and a £500 a head charity dinner at the church’s British headquarters, both of which were attended by Tom Cruise
Sunday, 16 May 2010
Blowing the whistle on drugmakers is becoming a habit for a salesman and a psychiatrist splitting a $45 million
The repeat whistle-blowers
By David Voreacos and Margaret Cronin Fisk
Bloomberg News
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20100516_The_repeat_whistle-blowers.html#axzz0o6N3qbOR
Blowing the whistle on drugmakers is becoming a habit for a salesman and a psychiatrist splitting a $45 million award after AstraZeneca P.L.C. settled claims of illegally marketing a schizophrenia drug.
California resident James Wetta, a former company sales representative, sued in 2004, claiming AstraZeneca, the British drugmaker with U.S. headquarters near Wilmington, marketed Seroquel to children, prisoners, and the elderly for uses not approved by regulators.
Stefan Kruszewski, a Pennsylvania psychiatrist, sued two years later, saying the company misrepresented Seroquel's risks and benefits.
The U.S. Justice Department joined their cases and settled April 27 with the company for $520 million under the False Claims Act. The men received payments after years of waiting. Each previously won awards in such litigation, an event that attorney Erika A. Kelton said is growing more common.
"Repeat whistle-blowers exist in the pharma industry because off-label marketing is so prevalent," said Kelton, of Phillips & Cohen L.L.P., a Washington law firm that successfully represented about 70 such clients over 15 years. "Sales reps do jump from company to company, so they may be exposed to a number of similarly illegal practices."
The False Claims Act lets private citizens sue on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. Whistle-blowers were paid $2.39 billion from 1987 to 2009, or 16 percent of the $15.19 billion collected in lawsuits where the U.S. government joined the case, according to the Justice Department.
Kruszewski said he reluctantly sued, to push companies to change how they describe the benefits and risks of drugs.
"I don't believe the science should be misrepresented, that effectiveness should be embellished, or that adverse effects should be minimized or obfuscated by drug companies," said Kruszewski, 59, who has a private practice in Harrisburg. He also has advised lawyers that sue drugmakers.
Kruszewski earlier sued Pfizer Inc. over claims about Geodon, an antipsychotic. He said he would get $14.5 million from a settlement last year in which Pfizer agreed to pay $2.3 billion to resolve claims over drugs that included Geodon.
Wetta marketed the antipsychotic Zyprexa at Eli Lilly & Co. before joining AstraZeneca. He sued Indianapolis-based Lilly in 2003 over sales practices and was one of nine whistle-blowers to split about $100 million when the company paid $1.42 billion last year to settle state and federal claims. Wetta joined AstraZeneca before the Lilly case was made public.
The work of whistle-blowers is "tremendously important to the development of the cases" in disclosing practices that lead to false claims and providing direct evidence to investigators, said Brian C. Elmer, a lawyer at Crowell & Moring L.L.P., of Washington, who defends companies.
Whistle-blowers collect as much as 30 percent of recoveries, and over two decades three-fourths were in health-care suits.
John T. Boese, a lawyer who has defended companies in such cases for 20 years, said whistle-blowers were overpaid.
"Every dime we give a whistle-blower is money that's supposed to go to the government and doesn't," said Boese, of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson L.L.P., of Washington. "They'd do the same thing for far less money, so they're unjustly enriched."
Kruszewski declined to discuss the effect of the awards on his life. Wetta declined to comment through his attorney.
Tony Jewell, a U.S. spokesman for AstraZeneca, declined to comment on Wetta and Kruszewski. The company denied allegations of illegal marketing and settled the case to avoid "the delay, uncertainty, and expense of protracted litigation," Glenn Engelmann, U.S. general counsel, said in a statement.
Chris Loder, a spokesman for New York-based Pfizer, the world's biggest drugmaker, declined to comment on Kruszewski. He said the company did not admit wrongdoing in marketing Geodon.
Kruszewski filed his first whistle-blower case in 2005 against a residential treatment facility and its owner. The defendants settled last year for $150,000, with Kruszewski getting $22,500.
The other whistle-blower cases followed.
Kruszewski, retained by AstraZeneca to discuss Seroquel with other doctors for up to $1,500 per appearance, found he was required to use a prepackaged slide show that contained "false and misleading information" about the drug's efficacy, he said in his complaint.
He accused the company of promoting the drug for unapproved uses and misleading the FDA, doctors, and the public about the drug's safety and its superiority to other medicines.
The Pfizer suit grew out of his experience as a practicing psychiatrist. He said company salespeople encouraged him to write off-label Geodon prescriptions for his patients. He was awarded $14.5 million of Pfizer's settlement last fall.
Kruszewski said his whistle-blowing had made him unpopular with many colleagues.
"Many professionals, including psychiatrists, don't even want to hear about issues pertaining to scientific misconduct or that a drug is being misrepresented by the company or in clinical trials," he said. "I get terrible feedback from doctors who are actively promoting psychopharmaceuticals."
He said that despite the millions of dollars he had made, his legal work as a whistle-blower has been painful.
"It would have been far nicer and better for me if all of this had never happened," he said. "I don't find it fun being a whistle-blower. People have no clue - except other whistle-blowers - how difficult this has been."
Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20100516_The_repeat_whistle-blowers.html#ixzz0o6NPO2mO
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By David Voreacos and Margaret Cronin Fisk
Bloomberg News
http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20100516_The_repeat_whistle-blowers.html#axzz0o6N3qbOR
Blowing the whistle on drugmakers is becoming a habit for a salesman and a psychiatrist splitting a $45 million award after AstraZeneca P.L.C. settled claims of illegally marketing a schizophrenia drug.
California resident James Wetta, a former company sales representative, sued in 2004, claiming AstraZeneca, the British drugmaker with U.S. headquarters near Wilmington, marketed Seroquel to children, prisoners, and the elderly for uses not approved by regulators.
Stefan Kruszewski, a Pennsylvania psychiatrist, sued two years later, saying the company misrepresented Seroquel's risks and benefits.
The U.S. Justice Department joined their cases and settled April 27 with the company for $520 million under the False Claims Act. The men received payments after years of waiting. Each previously won awards in such litigation, an event that attorney Erika A. Kelton said is growing more common.
"Repeat whistle-blowers exist in the pharma industry because off-label marketing is so prevalent," said Kelton, of Phillips & Cohen L.L.P., a Washington law firm that successfully represented about 70 such clients over 15 years. "Sales reps do jump from company to company, so they may be exposed to a number of similarly illegal practices."
The False Claims Act lets private citizens sue on behalf of the government and share in any recovery. Whistle-blowers were paid $2.39 billion from 1987 to 2009, or 16 percent of the $15.19 billion collected in lawsuits where the U.S. government joined the case, according to the Justice Department.
Kruszewski said he reluctantly sued, to push companies to change how they describe the benefits and risks of drugs.
"I don't believe the science should be misrepresented, that effectiveness should be embellished, or that adverse effects should be minimized or obfuscated by drug companies," said Kruszewski, 59, who has a private practice in Harrisburg. He also has advised lawyers that sue drugmakers.
Kruszewski earlier sued Pfizer Inc. over claims about Geodon, an antipsychotic. He said he would get $14.5 million from a settlement last year in which Pfizer agreed to pay $2.3 billion to resolve claims over drugs that included Geodon.
Wetta marketed the antipsychotic Zyprexa at Eli Lilly & Co. before joining AstraZeneca. He sued Indianapolis-based Lilly in 2003 over sales practices and was one of nine whistle-blowers to split about $100 million when the company paid $1.42 billion last year to settle state and federal claims. Wetta joined AstraZeneca before the Lilly case was made public.
The work of whistle-blowers is "tremendously important to the development of the cases" in disclosing practices that lead to false claims and providing direct evidence to investigators, said Brian C. Elmer, a lawyer at Crowell & Moring L.L.P., of Washington, who defends companies.
Whistle-blowers collect as much as 30 percent of recoveries, and over two decades three-fourths were in health-care suits.
John T. Boese, a lawyer who has defended companies in such cases for 20 years, said whistle-blowers were overpaid.
"Every dime we give a whistle-blower is money that's supposed to go to the government and doesn't," said Boese, of Fried, Frank, Harris, Shriver & Jacobson L.L.P., of Washington. "They'd do the same thing for far less money, so they're unjustly enriched."
Kruszewski declined to discuss the effect of the awards on his life. Wetta declined to comment through his attorney.
Tony Jewell, a U.S. spokesman for AstraZeneca, declined to comment on Wetta and Kruszewski. The company denied allegations of illegal marketing and settled the case to avoid "the delay, uncertainty, and expense of protracted litigation," Glenn Engelmann, U.S. general counsel, said in a statement.
Chris Loder, a spokesman for New York-based Pfizer, the world's biggest drugmaker, declined to comment on Kruszewski. He said the company did not admit wrongdoing in marketing Geodon.
Kruszewski filed his first whistle-blower case in 2005 against a residential treatment facility and its owner. The defendants settled last year for $150,000, with Kruszewski getting $22,500.
The other whistle-blower cases followed.
Kruszewski, retained by AstraZeneca to discuss Seroquel with other doctors for up to $1,500 per appearance, found he was required to use a prepackaged slide show that contained "false and misleading information" about the drug's efficacy, he said in his complaint.
He accused the company of promoting the drug for unapproved uses and misleading the FDA, doctors, and the public about the drug's safety and its superiority to other medicines.
The Pfizer suit grew out of his experience as a practicing psychiatrist. He said company salespeople encouraged him to write off-label Geodon prescriptions for his patients. He was awarded $14.5 million of Pfizer's settlement last fall.
Kruszewski said his whistle-blowing had made him unpopular with many colleagues.
"Many professionals, including psychiatrists, don't even want to hear about issues pertaining to scientific misconduct or that a drug is being misrepresented by the company or in clinical trials," he said. "I get terrible feedback from doctors who are actively promoting psychopharmaceuticals."
He said that despite the millions of dollars he had made, his legal work as a whistle-blower has been painful.
"It would have been far nicer and better for me if all of this had never happened," he said. "I don't find it fun being a whistle-blower. People have no clue - except other whistle-blowers - how difficult this has been."
Read more: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/business/20100516_The_repeat_whistle-blowers.html#ixzz0o6NPO2mO
Play fantasy sports and win cash prizes instantly. Philly.com's Instant Fantasy Sports Games
SSRIs and SNRIs: risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn - MHRA safety warning
SSRIs and SNRIs: risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn
May 16 2010 at 9:16 AM Anonymous
Response to risk of PPH raises 2.5 times
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drug safety advice
SSRIs and SNRIs: risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn
Antidepressants: risk of fractures
Carbapenems: concomitant use with valproic acid not recommended
Oral tacrolimus products: measures to reduce the risk of medication errors
Simvastatin: increased risk of myopathy at high dose (80 mg)
Stop press
Panitumumab (Vectibix): serious hypersensitivity reactions
Other information from the MHRA
Patient information leaflet of the month: Durogesic DTrans Transdermal Patch
Download documents:
Drug Safety Update: Volume 3, Issue 10, May 2010 (106Kb)
May 16 2010 at 9:16 AM Anonymous
Response to risk of PPH raises 2.5 times
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Drug safety advice
SSRIs and SNRIs: risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn
Antidepressants: risk of fractures
Carbapenems: concomitant use with valproic acid not recommended
Oral tacrolimus products: measures to reduce the risk of medication errors
Simvastatin: increased risk of myopathy at high dose (80 mg)
Stop press
Panitumumab (Vectibix): serious hypersensitivity reactions
Other information from the MHRA
Patient information leaflet of the month: Durogesic DTrans Transdermal Patch
Download documents:
Drug Safety Update: Volume 3, Issue 10, May 2010 (106Kb)
Saturday, 15 May 2010
MHRA warn pregnant women of antidepressants danger to their unborn child
Pregnant women warned of antidepressants danger to their unborn child
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1278675/Pregnant-women-warned-antidepressants-danger-unborn-child.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
By Jo Macfarlane
Last updated at 10:46 PM on 15th May 2010
Comments (0) Add to My Stories
Women who use antidepressants while pregnant are being warned by health chiefs about the risks to their unborn child.
The Government’s medicines watchdog advised doctors there is an increased risk that babies will be born with a rare lung condition if expectant mothers take drugs such as Prozac and Seroxat.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is recommending they are monitored more carefully because of the risk of developing persistent pulmonary hypertension after birth.
Unseen danger: It is recommended pregnant women are monitored more carefully because of the risk of babies developing persistent pulmonary hypertension after birth
The condition normally affects up to two in 1,000 births – but the latest research suggests the risk is more than doubled in women taking antidepressants, affecting five in 1,000 births. The life-threatening condition means infants do not adapt to breathing outside of the womb.
The risk is greater if the medicines known as SSRIs – a new generation of depression wonder drugs – are taken later in the pregnancy.
The warning comes five years after studies first showed there may be a link between the drugs and birth defects. The MHRA advised doctors not to prescribe the drugs to pregnant women unless necessary.
However, it was revealed last year that GPs were still prescribing them to women considering becoming pregnant.
The new alert comes after research carried out by the European Medicines Agency’s Pharmacovigilance Working Party consolidated the link.
It is spelt out in the MHRA’s latest monthly Drug Safety Update, which is distributed to health professionals.
It reads: ‘A review of data has suggested that the use of SSRIs in pregnancy, particularly in the later stages, may increase the risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn.’
The MHRA will now warn of the risk in leaflets inside the drugs’ packaging. The body said: ‘The article was intended to raise awareness of this risk
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/health/article-1278675/Pregnant-women-warned-antidepressants-danger-unborn-child.html?ito=feeds-newsxml
By Jo Macfarlane
Last updated at 10:46 PM on 15th May 2010
Comments (0) Add to My Stories
Women who use antidepressants while pregnant are being warned by health chiefs about the risks to their unborn child.
The Government’s medicines watchdog advised doctors there is an increased risk that babies will be born with a rare lung condition if expectant mothers take drugs such as Prozac and Seroxat.
The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) is recommending they are monitored more carefully because of the risk of developing persistent pulmonary hypertension after birth.
Unseen danger: It is recommended pregnant women are monitored more carefully because of the risk of babies developing persistent pulmonary hypertension after birth
The condition normally affects up to two in 1,000 births – but the latest research suggests the risk is more than doubled in women taking antidepressants, affecting five in 1,000 births. The life-threatening condition means infants do not adapt to breathing outside of the womb.
The risk is greater if the medicines known as SSRIs – a new generation of depression wonder drugs – are taken later in the pregnancy.
The warning comes five years after studies first showed there may be a link between the drugs and birth defects. The MHRA advised doctors not to prescribe the drugs to pregnant women unless necessary.
However, it was revealed last year that GPs were still prescribing them to women considering becoming pregnant.
The new alert comes after research carried out by the European Medicines Agency’s Pharmacovigilance Working Party consolidated the link.
It is spelt out in the MHRA’s latest monthly Drug Safety Update, which is distributed to health professionals.
It reads: ‘A review of data has suggested that the use of SSRIs in pregnancy, particularly in the later stages, may increase the risk of persistent pulmonary hypertension in the newborn.’
The MHRA will now warn of the risk in leaflets inside the drugs’ packaging. The body said: ‘The article was intended to raise awareness of this risk
Tuesday, 11 May 2010
Scientology / litigant stooge case classic failure
psychiatry-research : Message: Scientology/litigant stooge case classic failure: "Scientology/litigant stooge case classic failure"
If ever there was a case that showed how counter productive the Baum Hedlund(Scientology) lawyer scam was it must be the sad case of a young child who shot dead his grand parents.
Chris Pittman was 12 when he pulled the trigger & was USED by this cult as a poster boy case to prove the theory that " ZOLOFT made me do it"
And where did it get Pittman ..................well thirty years in an adult jail & he was lucky the trial wasn't elsewhere in the USA (land of the free) because he would have got fried in the electric chair.
Compare & contrast that outcome with Bulger killers UK (Venables & Thompson) who were out after a few years.
Now it would seem Barth Menzies (of Scientology's Baum Hedlund) is going to try back track the whole case because Pittman didn't get a proper defence in the first instance !
So for all you people playing the circular hero/victim game please keep in mind that the little people, the patients are being sold down the river.
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/aug/28/defense-team-made-mistakes-lawyers-say/
If ever there was a case that showed how counter productive the Baum Hedlund(Scientology) lawyer scam was it must be the sad case of a young child who shot dead his grand parents.
Chris Pittman was 12 when he pulled the trigger & was USED by this cult as a poster boy case to prove the theory that " ZOLOFT made me do it"
And where did it get Pittman ..................well thirty years in an adult jail & he was lucky the trial wasn't elsewhere in the USA (land of the free) because he would have got fried in the electric chair.
Compare & contrast that outcome with Bulger killers UK (Venables & Thompson) who were out after a few years.
Now it would seem Barth Menzies (of Scientology's Baum Hedlund) is going to try back track the whole case because Pittman didn't get a proper defence in the first instance !
So for all you people playing the circular hero/victim game please keep in mind that the little people, the patients are being sold down the river.
http://www.postandcourier.com/news/2009/aug/28/defense-team-made-mistakes-lawyers-say/
Sirtuin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Sirtuin - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia: "Silent Information Regulator Two (Sir2) proteins, or sirtuins"
Silent Information Regulator Two (Sir2) proteins, or sirtuins, are a class of proteins that possess either histone deacetylase or mono-ribosyltransferase activity and are found in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans.[2][3] Named after the yeast silent mating-type information regulation two,[4] the gene responsible for cellular regulation in yeast, sirtuins regulate important biological pathways in eubacteria, archaea and eukaryotes.
Yeast Sir2 and some, but not all, sirtuins are protein deacetylases. Unlike other known protein deacetylases, which simply hydrolyze acetyl-lysine residues, the sirtuin-mediated deacetylation reaction couples lysine deacetylation to NAD hydrolysis. This hydrolysis yields O-acetyl-ADP-ribose, the deacetylated substrate and nicotinamide, itself an inhibitor of sirtuin activity. The dependence of sirtuins on NAD links their enzymatic activity directly to the energy status of the cell via the cellular NAD:NADH ratio, the absolute levels of NAD, NADH or nicotinamide or a combination of these variables
Silent Information Regulator Two (Sir2) proteins, or sirtuins, are a class of proteins that possess either histone deacetylase or mono-ribosyltransferase activity and are found in organisms ranging from bacteria to humans.[2][3] Named after the yeast silent mating-type information regulation two,[4] the gene responsible for cellular regulation in yeast, sirtuins regulate important biological pathways in eubacteria, archaea and eukaryotes.
Yeast Sir2 and some, but not all, sirtuins are protein deacetylases. Unlike other known protein deacetylases, which simply hydrolyze acetyl-lysine residues, the sirtuin-mediated deacetylation reaction couples lysine deacetylation to NAD hydrolysis. This hydrolysis yields O-acetyl-ADP-ribose, the deacetylated substrate and nicotinamide, itself an inhibitor of sirtuin activity. The dependence of sirtuins on NAD links their enzymatic activity directly to the energy status of the cell via the cellular NAD:NADH ratio, the absolute levels of NAD, NADH or nicotinamide or a combination of these variables
GLAXO latest - first there was Seroxat next there will be SIRTUINS !
'Anti-ageing' medicines on the way
(UKPA) – 4 hours ago
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iuOZztCVya1Ty0PMjGTmJv377jIg
Medicines that can help people live healthy lives to 100 and beyond may be available in as little as two years, an expert has said.
The drugs have come out of research into age-related ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's.
To satisfy the requirements of drug regulators and the market they are billed as remedies for specific illnesses.
But in actual fact they tackle multiple causes of unhealthy ageing, according to Professor Nir Barzilai, one of the world's leading age scientists.
Prof Barzilai's own work at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York has identified genetic variants that mark out people who live to a "ripe old age".
The new drugs build on these discoveries, which involve biological pathways affecting metabolism, cell-death, inflammation and cholesterol. "Pharmaceutical companies are developing these drugs now," said Prof Barzilai, who joined other experts at the Royal Society in London for a discussion meeting on the science of ageing. "They will probably be available for testing from 2012."
A subsidiary of drug giant GlaxoSmithKline is looking at sirtuins, a family of enzymes associated with a whole range of age-related diseases including type 2 diabetes and cancers. Another key drug target is an enzyme called cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) which affects levels of "good" cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
Drugs that inhibit CETP are being developed by two other major pharmaceutical players, Merck and Roche. A small Massachusetts biotech company, Proteostasis, is investigating a third pathway involving the cell-growth chemical IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1).
Although the initial aim is to develop a drug that combats Alzheimer's, the same pathway is thought to play a role in Parkinson's, motor neurone disease and Huntington's. Yet another target is a protein called humanin which has links to the way insulin affects metabolism.
All these pipeline approaches herald a new era of longevity, said Prof Barzilai.
Copyright © 2010 The Press Association. All rights reserved
(UKPA) – 4 hours ago
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ukpress/article/ALeqM5iuOZztCVya1Ty0PMjGTmJv377jIg
Medicines that can help people live healthy lives to 100 and beyond may be available in as little as two years, an expert has said.
The drugs have come out of research into age-related ailments such as heart disease, diabetes, cancer and Alzheimer's.
To satisfy the requirements of drug regulators and the market they are billed as remedies for specific illnesses.
But in actual fact they tackle multiple causes of unhealthy ageing, according to Professor Nir Barzilai, one of the world's leading age scientists.
Prof Barzilai's own work at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York has identified genetic variants that mark out people who live to a "ripe old age".
The new drugs build on these discoveries, which involve biological pathways affecting metabolism, cell-death, inflammation and cholesterol. "Pharmaceutical companies are developing these drugs now," said Prof Barzilai, who joined other experts at the Royal Society in London for a discussion meeting on the science of ageing. "They will probably be available for testing from 2012."
A subsidiary of drug giant GlaxoSmithKline is looking at sirtuins, a family of enzymes associated with a whole range of age-related diseases including type 2 diabetes and cancers. Another key drug target is an enzyme called cholesterol ester transfer protein (CETP) which affects levels of "good" cholesterol, or high-density lipoprotein (HDL).
Drugs that inhibit CETP are being developed by two other major pharmaceutical players, Merck and Roche. A small Massachusetts biotech company, Proteostasis, is investigating a third pathway involving the cell-growth chemical IGF-1 (insulin-like growth factor-1).
Although the initial aim is to develop a drug that combats Alzheimer's, the same pathway is thought to play a role in Parkinson's, motor neurone disease and Huntington's. Yet another target is a protein called humanin which has links to the way insulin affects metabolism.
All these pipeline approaches herald a new era of longevity, said Prof Barzilai.
Copyright © 2010 The Press Association. All rights reserved
Saturday, 8 May 2010
Uriah Heep - is Humbled
http://www.paxilprogress.org/forums/showthread.php?t=47624
Humbled - New Song About Seroxat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
There are many things that move me in life, a baby crying, a piece of brilliantly written prose, a dog with big puppy eyes...many more - I once shed a tear looking down at the beauty of the earth from 30,000 feet in the air.
This latest offering that has moved me deeply is a song that has been written about me.
I am deeply humbled.
Song and lyrics are HERE
__________________
Fid
http://fiddaman.blogspot.com
Humbled - New Song About Seroxat
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
This latest offering that has moved me deeply is a song that has been written about me.
I am deeply humbled.
Song and lyrics are HERE
__________________
Fid
http://fiddaman.blogspot.com
Friday, 7 May 2010
Martin Hetherington - parody song about Bob Fiddaman who is to thick to realise Martin is taking the piss
google cache of the song that Bob Fiddleman is too thick to realise is a parody
http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:7DQe0v56xNwJ:fiddaman.blogspot.com/+seroxat+blog&hl=en&client=firefox-a&gl=uk&strip=1
Wednesday, 5 May 2010
Antidepressant Type Does Not Affect Suicide Rate
uksurvivors : Message: Antidepressant Type Does Not Affect Suicide Rate: "Antidepressant Type Does Not Affect Suicide Rate"
There is no real difference between suicide rates in people taking different classes of antidepressants, say researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
For their study, the researchers looked at data from 287,543 adults in British Columbia, Canada, who began taking antidepressants between 1997 and 2005.
In the first year of treatment, 751 of the people studied attempted suicide while 104 actually completed a suicide. After making a comparison of suicide rates in people who were taking different classes of antidepressant, however, the researchers found was that there were no "clinically significant" differences between the groups. In other words, the differences found were so small that they could have occurred by chance alone.
What these results mean, say the researchers, is that treatment decisions should be based on how well the antidepressants work rather than any fears of increased suicidality with a particular type of antidepressant. Also, doctors should be vigilant in monitoring their patients for suicidality anytime they begin a new antidepressant, regardless of what class it may belong to.
According to the authors, these findings back up the FDA's previous decision to treat all antidepressants the same in its advisory regarding the increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors when taking an antidepressant.
The study appears in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
There is no real difference between suicide rates in people taking different classes of antidepressants, say researchers from Brigham and Women's Hospital and Harvard Medical School.
For their study, the researchers looked at data from 287,543 adults in British Columbia, Canada, who began taking antidepressants between 1997 and 2005.
In the first year of treatment, 751 of the people studied attempted suicide while 104 actually completed a suicide. After making a comparison of suicide rates in people who were taking different classes of antidepressant, however, the researchers found was that there were no "clinically significant" differences between the groups. In other words, the differences found were so small that they could have occurred by chance alone.
What these results mean, say the researchers, is that treatment decisions should be based on how well the antidepressants work rather than any fears of increased suicidality with a particular type of antidepressant. Also, doctors should be vigilant in monitoring their patients for suicidality anytime they begin a new antidepressant, regardless of what class it may belong to.
According to the authors, these findings back up the FDA's previous decision to treat all antidepressants the same in its advisory regarding the increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors when taking an antidepressant.
The study appears in the May issue of Archives of General Psychiatry.
Variation in the Risk of Suicide Attempts and Completed Suicides by Antidepressant Agent in Adults: A Propensity Score-Adjusted Analysis of 9 Years' Data, May 2010, Schneeweiss et al. 67 (5): 497
Arch Gen Psychiatry -- Abstract: Variation in the Risk of Suicide Attempts and Completed Suicides by Antidepressant Agent in Adults: A Propensity Score-Adjusted Analysis of 9 Years' Data, May 2010, Schneeweiss et al. 67 (5): 497: "Suicide Attempts and Completed Suicides by Antidepressant Agent in Adults"
Variation in the Risk of Suicide Attempts and Completed Suicides by Antidepressant Agent in Adults
A Propensity Score–Adjusted Analysis of 9 Years' Data
Sebastian Schneeweiss, MD, ScD; Amanda R. Patrick, MS; Daniel H. Solomon, MD, MPH; Jyotsna Mehta, MS; Colin Dormuth, MA, MS, ScD; Matthew Miller, MD, ScD; Jennifer C. Lee, BS; Philip S. Wang, MD, DrPH
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67(5):497-506.
Context A US Food and Drug Administration advisory has warned that antidepressants may be associated with an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents. This prompted a meta-analysis of trials in adults that found no overall increase in risk, but individual agents could not be studied.
Objective To assess the risk of suicide and suicide attempts associated with individual antidepressant agents.
Design Cohort study of incident users of antidepressant agents.
Setting Population-based health care utilization data of all residents of British Columbia, Canada, aged 18 years and older between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2005.
Patients British Columbia residents who had antidepressant therapy initiated and had a recorded diagnosis of depression.
Intervention Initiation of various antidepressant medications.
Main Outcome Measures Combined suicide death or hospitalization due to self-harm.
Results In a population of 287 543 adults aged 18 years and older with antidepressant therapy initiated, we observed outcome rates ranging from 4.41/1000 person-years to 9.09/1000 person-years. Most events occurred in the first 6 months after treatment initiation. After extensive propensity score adjustment, we found no clinically meaningful variation in the risk of suicide and suicide attempt between antidepressant agents compared with fluoxetine hydrochloride initiation: citalopram hydrobromide, hazard ratio = 1.00 (95% confidence interval, 0.63-1.57); fluvoxamine maleate, hazard ratio = 0.98 (95% confidence interval, 0.63-1.51); paroxetine hydrochloride, hazard ratio = 1.02 (95% confidence interval, 0.77-1.35); and sertraline hydrochloride, hazard ratio = 0.75 (95% confidence interval, 0.53-1.05). Compared with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as a drug class, other classes including serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic agents, and other newer and atypical agents had a similar risk. Restriction to patients with no antidepressant use in the past 3 years further reduced apparent differences between groups.
Conclusions Our finding of equal event rates across antidepressant agents supports the US Food and Drug Administration's decision to treat all antidepressants alike in their advisory. Treatment decisions should be based on efficacy, and clinicians should be vigilant in monitoring after initiating therapy with any antidepressant agent.
Author Affiliations: Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (Drs Schneeweiss, Solomon, and Wang and Mss Patrick, Mehta, and Lee) and Harvard Injury Control Research Center, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health (Dr Miller), Boston, Massachusetts; Therapeutics Initiative, Department of Anesthesia, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Dr Dormuth); and National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland (Dr Miller).
Variation in the Risk of Suicide Attempts and Completed Suicides by Antidepressant Agent in Adults
A Propensity Score–Adjusted Analysis of 9 Years' Data
Sebastian Schneeweiss, MD, ScD; Amanda R. Patrick, MS; Daniel H. Solomon, MD, MPH; Jyotsna Mehta, MS; Colin Dormuth, MA, MS, ScD; Matthew Miller, MD, ScD; Jennifer C. Lee, BS; Philip S. Wang, MD, DrPH
Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010;67(5):497-506.
Context A US Food and Drug Administration advisory has warned that antidepressants may be associated with an increased risk of suicidal thoughts and behaviors in adolescents. This prompted a meta-analysis of trials in adults that found no overall increase in risk, but individual agents could not be studied.
Objective To assess the risk of suicide and suicide attempts associated with individual antidepressant agents.
Design Cohort study of incident users of antidepressant agents.
Setting Population-based health care utilization data of all residents of British Columbia, Canada, aged 18 years and older between January 1, 1997, and December 31, 2005.
Patients British Columbia residents who had antidepressant therapy initiated and had a recorded diagnosis of depression.
Intervention Initiation of various antidepressant medications.
Main Outcome Measures Combined suicide death or hospitalization due to self-harm.
Results In a population of 287 543 adults aged 18 years and older with antidepressant therapy initiated, we observed outcome rates ranging from 4.41/1000 person-years to 9.09/1000 person-years. Most events occurred in the first 6 months after treatment initiation. After extensive propensity score adjustment, we found no clinically meaningful variation in the risk of suicide and suicide attempt between antidepressant agents compared with fluoxetine hydrochloride initiation: citalopram hydrobromide, hazard ratio = 1.00 (95% confidence interval, 0.63-1.57); fluvoxamine maleate, hazard ratio = 0.98 (95% confidence interval, 0.63-1.51); paroxetine hydrochloride, hazard ratio = 1.02 (95% confidence interval, 0.77-1.35); and sertraline hydrochloride, hazard ratio = 0.75 (95% confidence interval, 0.53-1.05). Compared with selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors as a drug class, other classes including serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitors, tricyclic agents, and other newer and atypical agents had a similar risk. Restriction to patients with no antidepressant use in the past 3 years further reduced apparent differences between groups.
Conclusions Our finding of equal event rates across antidepressant agents supports the US Food and Drug Administration's decision to treat all antidepressants alike in their advisory. Treatment decisions should be based on efficacy, and clinicians should be vigilant in monitoring after initiating therapy with any antidepressant agent.
Author Affiliations: Division of Pharmacoepidemiology and Pharmacoeconomics, Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School (Drs Schneeweiss, Solomon, and Wang and Mss Patrick, Mehta, and Lee) and Harvard Injury Control Research Center, Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health (Dr Miller), Boston, Massachusetts; Therapeutics Initiative, Department of Anesthesia, Pharmacology, and Therapeutics, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada (Dr Dormuth); and National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland (Dr Miller).
Tuesday, 4 May 2010
v-Fluence - Seroxat's Fiddaman claimed £44,000 from luxury car maker LandRover - June 2001
Seroxat's Fiddaman claimed £44,000 from luxury car maker LandRover - June 2001
June 2001 - Bob Fiddaman claimed £44,000 from LandRover
source - http://groups.google.com/group/alt.rock-n-roll.acdc/browse_thread/thread/54c1b222a78b9c44?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%27Fiddy+to+start+work+at+Rover%27
I have to show the tribunals that I am willing to do whatever it is they
offer me with restrictions. This is NOT the end of the matter. We are now asking for compensation for the time that I have been off work - Total of £44,000 --
And Remember......
KEEP IT STIFF
BOB 'CHAINSAW' FIDDAMAN UK
June 2001 - Bob Fiddaman claimed £44,000 from LandRover
source - http://groups.google.com/group/alt.rock-n-roll.acdc/browse_thread/thread/54c1b222a78b9c44?hl=en&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&q=%27Fiddy+to+start+work+at+Rover%27
I have to show the tribunals that I am willing to do whatever it is they
offer me with restrictions. This is NOT the end of the matter. We are now asking for compensation for the time that I have been off work - Total of £44,000 --
KEEP IT STIFF
v-Fluence - watching out for false claims & scams run by Scientology Lawyers & their stooges
http://www.v-fluence.com/
v-Fluence uses our proprietary online data-mining and analytics to answer these questions and define and positively shape your online environment—that is, the collective of Web 1.0 and Web 2.0 spaces that are most critical for connecting your organization and brand with the online consumers you want to reach.
Discover why top-name organizations rely on v-Fluence for analytics-rich, online strategy and execution support that delivers measurable results.
NEWS: $520 Million Brings Total Sheller Pharma Whistleblower Settlements to $4.2 Billion
http://www.sheller.com/news-media/detail.php?title=Sheller-52M-Brings-Total-Pharma-Whistleblower-Settlements-To-42B: "Sheller Pharma Whistleblower Settlements to $4.2 Billion"
http://www.sheller.com/news-media/detail.php?title=Sheller-52M-Brings-Total-Pharma-Whistleblower-Settlements-To-42B
Sheller, P.C. is Primary Counsel for Record-Breaking $520 Million Civil Settlement; Firm Instrumental in Recovering More Than $4.2 Billion in Pharma Whistleblower Setllements in the Last 15 Months
PHILADELPHIA: AstraZeneca will pay the federal government $520 million in civil fines to settle charges of off-label marketing of the powerful antipsychotic drug Seroquel. The settlement is the largest pharmaceutical civil settlement and among the top five civil and criminal drug company settlements in U.S. history.
http://www.sheller.com/news-media/detail.php?title=Sheller-52M-Brings-Total-Pharma-Whistleblower-Settlements-To-42B
Sheller, P.C. is Primary Counsel for Record-Breaking $520 Million Civil Settlement; Firm Instrumental in Recovering More Than $4.2 Billion in Pharma Whistleblower Setllements in the Last 15 Months
PHILADELPHIA: AstraZeneca will pay the federal government $520 million in civil fines to settle charges of off-label marketing of the powerful antipsychotic drug Seroquel. The settlement is the largest pharmaceutical civil settlement and among the top five civil and criminal drug company settlements in U.S. history.
Saturday, 1 May 2010
Behind Two Big Drug Company Settlements: Professional Whistleblowers | BNET Pharma Blog | BNET
Two men involved in AstraZeneca (AZN)s $520 million settlement with the Department of Justice over its alleged mismarketing of the antipsychotic Seroquel appear to be professional whistleblowers: This is the third settlement in which Dr. Stefan Kruszewski has collected a jackpot payout from a drug or healthcare company since April 2009. Its the second for pharmaceutical sales rep James Wetta. Together, the pair have wrested $4.2 billion in settlements from AZ, Pfizer (PFE) and Eli Lilly (LLY).
The cases are a warning to management and human resources chiefs on how not to handle disgruntled employees: Kruszewski, who was fired by the Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare after he alerted his bosses to questionable prescribing practices in the state, regards his whistleblowing as a crusade. He wrote in PLoS Medicine:
For me, whistleblowing is not a theoretical exercise. It has a human face and tangible features. It is the face of children and adults who have been injured or killed by misrepresented pharmaceuticals; clinical research trial results that have been sequestered from the scientific community and whose incomplete findings cause injury; and pharmaceuticals that are detailed to physicians, not to save lives or necessarily improve the health or welfare of the recipients, but to make money.
In the Seroquel case, Kruszewski will share $45 million with former AZ sales rep Wetta. Wetta previously got a piece of a $100 million settlement from a former employer, Eli Lilly (LLY), which paid $1.4 billion to settle allegations regarding its marketing of another antipsychotic, Zyprexa.
The AZ case comes just months after Kruszewski netted $29 million for his role in Pfizers $2.3 billion settlement over mismarketing allegations involving its painkiller Bextraand the antipsychotic Geodon. In addition, Kruszewski received $22,500 in a whistleblowing settlement with Southwood Psychiatric Hospital in April 2009, over allegations of prescribing abuse there.
One wonders whether Kruszewski would have become so persistent a litigant if his firing had been handled better or had it not happened at all. In 2005, he told a conference for whistleblowers:
I was fired in a demeaning manner, said Kruszewski, who has sued DPW over his firing. My two offices were emptied and the contents of these offices were put in the gutter.
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