The Safe Patient Project is a Consumers Union campaign focused on eliminating medical harm, improving FDA oversight of prescription drugs and promoting disclosure laws that give information to consumers about health care safety and quality.
Vioxx
Free drug samples hardly help the poor
If you are poor, uninsured, non-English speaking, or an ethnic or racial minority, you are less likely to receive free drug samples, according to a first of its kind study by Harvard researchers at the Cambridge Health Alliance.
Categories: Doctor Accountability, Medical Devices & Drugs
Tags: flu, ICU, Pharma, Vioxx
A huge victory — and a huge thanks
Your emails, phone calls and visits to legislators helped win new drug safety protections for all Americans
Categories: Medical Devices & Drugs
Tags: FDA, flu, Vioxx
Brilliant biochemical chutzpah
Heartburn meds Nexium and Prilosec have been in the news lately because of the possibility they may increase risk of heart attack. While the jury’s still out on this, it’s fascinating look at the amount of money that’s been poured into the marketing of these drugs.
Categories: Medical Devices & Drugs
Tags: FDA, flu, Pharma, Vioxx
Merck sets aside $810 million for Vioxx lawsuits
What if they had spent this money on safety research instead?
Categories: Uncategorized
Tags: Vioxx
Conflict of Interest
Doctors with Drug Ties Chosen for Avandia Panel
Categories: Medical Devices & Drugs
Tags: FDA, flu, JAMA, medical device, Pharma, Vioxx
House subcommittee to vote on drug safety proposals today..
And a full committee vote on Rep. Pallone’s proposal Thursday. We should know by tonight how it went.
Categories: Medical Devices & Drugs
Tags: FDA, Ketek, medical device, Vioxx
Avandia added to the growing list of drugs that just might kill you
You can’t pick up a paper or turn on the news this week without hearing about Avandia, the latest blockbuster drug in the spotlight for potentially deadly side effects. This treatment, prescribed to about 6 million diabetics since 1999, is likely to increase cardiovascular disease and heart attacks in its users.
Categories: Medical Devices & Drugs, Medical Errors
Tags: FDA, Vioxx
Families urge Congress to reform drug safety system
Last week, over a dozen families traveled to DC to urge Congress to pass strong drug safety reforms this year.
Categories: Medical Devices & Drugs
Tags: FDA, Vioxx
Drugmakers feel heat on DTC ads
At a conference yesterday in New Jersey of pharmaceutical marketing specialists, drugmakers and their ad agencies were warned that drug ads to consumers need to be more truthful and transparent.
Categories: Medical Devices & Drugs
Tags: FDA, Vioxx
Drug Industry Fears IOM Report May Hurt Profits
A report by the country’s leading scientists is leading to fears by drug industry analysts that it may prompt legislation that could in turn impact the bottom line for drug companies.
Categories: Medical Devices & Drugs
Tags: FDA, Vioxx
