Lyrica, Pfizer, and how big pharma gets what it wants
https://www.theage.com.au/national/lyri ... 50x1z.html
"More than 4 million scripts for pregabalin, the drug’s generic name, were written in 2017-18, costing government and consumers more than $171 million.
That’s come with a huge toll. An investigation by The Age revealed Pfizer’s ‘safe, non-addictive’ nerve-pain pill was highly addictive, dangerous when taken with other drugs, and came with a range of nasty side-effects - including suicidal thoughts.
The drug has been linked to more than 250 drug overdose deaths and six suicides. More than 85,000 Australians are abusing pregabalin, according to one study. Concerned doctors are scrambling to deal with the fallout.
...
An investigation by The Sunday Age and The Sun-Herald has uncovered a sophisticated and well-funded effort by Pfizer to win government subsidy for the drug then promote it to doctors and consumers.
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None of Pfizer’s actions are illegal. But the investigation reveals the enormous influence pharmaceutical companies like Pfizer can have.
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Health consumer organisations are meant to represent the interests of patients, lobby for funding for conditions, and fight for new drugs to be made available.
But many accept significant donations from pharmaceutical companies, putting them at risk of a conflict of interest.
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“It was part of their marketing strategy. They wouldn’t have done it otherwise. Why would they do it otherwise?"
...
"Self-interest drives these companies, and profit, let's not kid ourselves."
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US studies have found when a pharma company ‘educates’ doctors about a drug, they tend to prescribe more of it, and do a worse job of making sure they are giving it for the right indications.
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In LinkedIn posts, several Pfizer sales representatives brag about their successes selling Lyrica and getting it onto hospital "formularies" - the hospital's stock of default drugs.
"I successfully achieved Lyrica formulary listings in the following hospitals by getting local Specialists to champion the listing," said one. "I know what it takes to get formulary of your product portfolio."
That salesman also boasted that he specialised in "GP surgery lunch meetings". "Lyrica PBS listing March 2012 with growth over 500%," he wrote."
More states legalize Pot 8) when for Oz?
Moderator: bbmods
^^^
https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2014/octob ... thic-pain/
"The product information for pregabalin (Lyrica) states that ‘patients treated with any AED [anti-epileptic drug] for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behaviour, and/or any unusual changes in mood or behaviour’. It also states that when compared with placebo the increased incidence of suicidal behaviour or ideation for patients treated with anti-epileptic drugs was approximately one case per 530 patients. Here we report five cases of suicidal thoughts or increased depression from the first 50 (approximately) patients commencing pregabalin at the Gold Coast Interdisciplinary Persistent Pain Centre (GCIPPC) after it was listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) on 1 March 2013 for the management of persistent neuropathic pain."
Great, huh? You take a PBS drug for back pain and end up suiciding... I think I'd prefer pot for pain relief than Lyrica.
https://www.racgp.org.au/afp/2014/octob ... thic-pain/
"The product information for pregabalin (Lyrica) states that ‘patients treated with any AED [anti-epileptic drug] for any indication should be monitored for the emergence or worsening of depression, suicidal thoughts or behaviour, and/or any unusual changes in mood or behaviour’. It also states that when compared with placebo the increased incidence of suicidal behaviour or ideation for patients treated with anti-epileptic drugs was approximately one case per 530 patients. Here we report five cases of suicidal thoughts or increased depression from the first 50 (approximately) patients commencing pregabalin at the Gold Coast Interdisciplinary Persistent Pain Centre (GCIPPC) after it was listed on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) on 1 March 2013 for the management of persistent neuropathic pain."
Great, huh? You take a PBS drug for back pain and end up suiciding... I think I'd prefer pot for pain relief than Lyrica.
Purdue Pharma and Sacklers Reach $275 Million Settlement in Opioid Lawsuit
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/heal ... ahoma.html
"But the settlement also means that the public will not hear a full recounting of Purdue’s actions in promoting OxyContin to doctors and underplaying its addictive properties, including testimony by members of the Sackler family."
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/03/26/heal ... ahoma.html
"But the settlement also means that the public will not hear a full recounting of Purdue’s actions in promoting OxyContin to doctors and underplaying its addictive properties, including testimony by members of the Sackler family."
-
Skids
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All of these; highly addictive & legal substances could be replaced with a simple spliff.
I was prescribed Valium & an anti-inflammatory a few years ago when I injured my back. Sure, they worked, but the valium made me even more dopey than I already am
and the anti inflammatory played havoc with my stomach.
Some good weed worked just as well, the only side effects being, the overconsumption of; Tim Tams, Drumsticks and chocolate bars, along with restful nights sleep.
Has anyone ever had an OxyContin? I have on 2 occasions (i'll try anything once... or twice
) ... talk about wasted!! That is some powerful shit!
I was prescribed Valium & an anti-inflammatory a few years ago when I injured my back. Sure, they worked, but the valium made me even more dopey than I already am
and the anti inflammatory played havoc with my stomach.Some good weed worked just as well, the only side effects being, the overconsumption of; Tim Tams, Drumsticks and chocolate bars, along with restful nights sleep.
Has anyone ever had an OxyContin? I have on 2 occasions (i'll try anything once... or twice
) ... talk about wasted!! That is some powerful shit!Don't count the days, make the days count.
Ralph Metzner, LSD and Consciousness Researcher, Dies at 82
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/obit ... -dead.html
'Dr. Metzner ... was a graduate student there when he began working with Dr. Leary and Richard Alpert, who were clinical psychology professors and had begun exploring therapeutic and other uses for LSD, psilocybin and similar hallucinogens. The three later collaborated on “The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead” (1964), one of the core texts of the emerging psychedelic movement.
Dr. Leary and Dr. Alpert (who later took the name Ram Dass) were both dismissed from Harvard in 1963 amid revelations that they had given hallucinogens to undergraduates as part of their research.
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Among his recent interests was whether some drugs that have been demonized, like MDMA (commonly known as Ecstasy), might be useful in treating post-traumatic stress disorder or in end-of-life care.
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“Actually, your consciousness expands every morning when you wake up,” he explained in the 2015 interview. “You’re coming out of a dream and you say, ‘Oh, here’s my room, my bed, my wife, my family, my dog, my job.’ That’s a series of consciousness expansions. And every night when you go to sleep you kind of close in. And that’s a perfectly normal thing, to expand consciousness and to also be able to contract consciousness and focus.”
“The ideal,” he added, “is to have them be under your intentional control.” '
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/04/obit ... -dead.html
'Dr. Metzner ... was a graduate student there when he began working with Dr. Leary and Richard Alpert, who were clinical psychology professors and had begun exploring therapeutic and other uses for LSD, psilocybin and similar hallucinogens. The three later collaborated on “The Psychedelic Experience: A Manual Based on the Tibetan Book of the Dead” (1964), one of the core texts of the emerging psychedelic movement.
Dr. Leary and Dr. Alpert (who later took the name Ram Dass) were both dismissed from Harvard in 1963 amid revelations that they had given hallucinogens to undergraduates as part of their research.
...
Among his recent interests was whether some drugs that have been demonized, like MDMA (commonly known as Ecstasy), might be useful in treating post-traumatic stress disorder or in end-of-life care.
...
“Actually, your consciousness expands every morning when you wake up,” he explained in the 2015 interview. “You’re coming out of a dream and you say, ‘Oh, here’s my room, my bed, my wife, my family, my dog, my job.’ That’s a series of consciousness expansions. And every night when you go to sleep you kind of close in. And that’s a perfectly normal thing, to expand consciousness and to also be able to contract consciousness and focus.”
“The ideal,” he added, “is to have them be under your intentional control.” '
Doctors Accused of Trading Opioid Prescriptions for Sex and Cash
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/us/d ... drugs.html
'Opioid prescriptions were exchanged for sex in some cases, and for cash with an added “concierge fee” in others. One doctor was accused of routinely prescribing opioids to friends on Facebook.
Prosecutors said the doctor in northern Alabama “recruited prostitutes and other young women with whom he had sexual relationships” to become his patients. He also opened his home to people using heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana, they said, in a criminal complaint, adding that police officers had been to the house several times concerning overdoses and other complaints.
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The indictments accuse 60 people, including 31 doctors, seven pharmacists and eight nurses, of involvement in the schemes, which included prescribing opioids for gratuitous medical procedures like unnecessary tooth pulling. In some cases, prosecutors said, doctors simply handed out signed blank prescription forms.
“These cases involve approximately 350,000 opioid prescriptions and more than 32 million pills..." '
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/17/us/d ... drugs.html
'Opioid prescriptions were exchanged for sex in some cases, and for cash with an added “concierge fee” in others. One doctor was accused of routinely prescribing opioids to friends on Facebook.
Prosecutors said the doctor in northern Alabama “recruited prostitutes and other young women with whom he had sexual relationships” to become his patients. He also opened his home to people using heroin, methamphetamine, cocaine and marijuana, they said, in a criminal complaint, adding that police officers had been to the house several times concerning overdoses and other complaints.
...
The indictments accuse 60 people, including 31 doctors, seven pharmacists and eight nurses, of involvement in the schemes, which included prescribing opioids for gratuitous medical procedures like unnecessary tooth pulling. In some cases, prosecutors said, doctors simply handed out signed blank prescription forms.
“These cases involve approximately 350,000 opioid prescriptions and more than 32 million pills..." '
In Washington, Juul Vows to Curb Youth Vaping. Its Lobbying in States Runs Counter to That Pledge.
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/28/heal ... ettes.html
"For months, Juul Labs has had a clear, unwavering message for officials in Washington: The e-cigarette giant is committed to doing all it can to keep its hugely popular vaping products away from teenagers.
But here in Columbia, the South Carolina capital, and in statehouses and city halls across the country, a vast, new army of Juul lobbyists is aggressively pushing measures that undermine that pledge.
The company’s 80-plus lobbyists in 50 states are fighting proposals to ban flavored e-cigarette pods, which are big draws for teenagers; pushing legislation that includes provisions denying local governments the right to adopt strict vaping controls; and working to make sure that bills to discourage youth vaping do not have stringent enforcement measures."
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/04/28/heal ... ettes.html
"For months, Juul Labs has had a clear, unwavering message for officials in Washington: The e-cigarette giant is committed to doing all it can to keep its hugely popular vaping products away from teenagers.
But here in Columbia, the South Carolina capital, and in statehouses and city halls across the country, a vast, new army of Juul lobbyists is aggressively pushing measures that undermine that pledge.
The company’s 80-plus lobbyists in 50 states are fighting proposals to ban flavored e-cigarette pods, which are big draws for teenagers; pushing legislation that includes provisions denying local governments the right to adopt strict vaping controls; and working to make sure that bills to discourage youth vaping do not have stringent enforcement measures."