Let's rectify pharmaceutical companies behaviour

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epileric

epileric

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Something Pharmaceutical companies often do is they will test their medications as expected & if the tests come out with results that the company isn't pleased with then more tests are required until acceptable results arrive.

Finally here is a petition to stop that behaviour & have all trials reported
http://www.alltrials.net/

It’s time all clinical trial results are reported. Patients, researchers, pharmacists, doctors and regulators everywhere will benefit from publication of clinical trial results. Wherever you are in the world please sign the petition:

Thousands of clinical trials have not reported their results; some have not even been registered.

Information on what was done and what was found in these trials could be lost forever to doctors and researchers, leading to bad treatment decisions, missed opportunities for good medicine, and trials being repeated.

All trials past and present should be registered, and the full methods and the results reported.

We call on governments, regulators and research bodies to implement measures to achieve this.
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http://www.alltrials.net/

In case I didn't explain the situation well enough I think Dr. Ben Goldacre does a great job of explaining things. http://www.ted.com/talks/ben_goldacre_what_doctors_don_t_know_about_the_drugs_they_prescribe.html
 
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I signed the petition. I'm all for anything that can bring greater transparency to the drug testing, manufacturing, and selling process...
 
Thanks Epileric.. will be signing that and I also hope companies keep testing and retesting meds for purity. I take phenobarbital 30 mg, but most companies are now manufacturing 32.4 mg which some pharmacists interchange as if the same strength. I also had a problem with a new manufacturer of phenobarb when they went to fill my RX, but would not fill, pharmacist said it was not an all-out recall, but just the lot they had on their shelf.
 
Recommended reading for everyone: Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Pharma

It details the many, many, many ways* in which the Big Pharmaceutical companies are putting profits over patient welfare to bring their drugs to market.

*rigging studies, withholding or fudging bad results, lying, bribing regulators and doctors...
 
Yes, thank you Epileric!! I came across that frightening info a few months ago, and was appalled. I hate seizure meds to begin with, and that a company would be so cavalier with people's lives is just beyond the pale. (One reason I love the Ketogenic diet -- no one's getting rich off of it!!)

Yes, I will definitely sign that petition!!
 
Hmmm...well, I went to sign the petition, but it seems like it didn't work.

But I did share it on Facebook!
 
KarenB said:
Hmmm...well, I went to sign the petition, but it seems like it didn't work.

But I did share it on Facebook!
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When you click on the "sign the petition box" there should be a drop down box for you to give your info.

Either way thanks (to you & everyone else) for helping to spread it and contributing their names.
 
Yes, I got the drop down box, but not sure if it took my petition or not.

My sister (an orthepedic nurse) says that one of her patients was taking Fosamax for osteoporosis, and in past 3 months broke BOTH of her hips. Turns out if you take this drug for too long it causes bone issues, but she said VERY little about this in the literature -- she had to go back and really look for it.
 
KarenB said:
Yes, I got the drop down box, but not sure if it took my petition or not.

My sister (an orthepedic nurse) says that one of her patients was taking Fosamax for osteoporosis, and in past 3 months broke BOTH of her hips. Turns out if you take this drug for too long it causes bone issues, but she said VERY little about this in the literature -- she had to go back and really look for it.
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I hope she signs the petition & shares it with fellow professionals. I'm sure her credentials hold value because they do ask.
 
Just got this in the mail.

I'm amazed that this would be blocked but I'm glad Ben Goldacre & others are fighting it.

Dear Friends

Yesterday the European General Court issued an injunction stopping the European medicines regulator from releasing information from clinical trials conducted by two pharmaceutical companies at the request of those two companies. The ruling pertains to two particular cases but it has ramifications for all.

The Court’s decision puts the European Medicines Agency into conflict with its own stated policy to proactively release clinical trial data for all medicines being used in Europe. More importantly it puts it into conflict with patient’s interests. We need to let the EMA know how much support there is for their stance on transparency. Can you help us get 100,000 signatures on the AllTrials petition by the end of today and we will send it to them? There is more information on this and a note you can forward to friends and colleagues here.

20th May is International Clinical Trials Day and by then we need to have every organisation that should care about this issue signed up to the campaign. On 30th May there is an important vote in the European Parliament on amendments to the clinical trials regulation and we need to show MEPs there is support across Europe for openness about research results. If you know or work for an organisation that is considering signing up please ask them to do it before 20th.

The AllTrials campaign has been launched in America. Dartmouth’s Geisel School of Medicine is leading the US campaign and urging every medical school and patient advocacy group to join. The Cochrane Collaboration and PLOS have joined the core group of organisations behind the AllTrials campaign.

Thank you to all of you who have donated and fundraised for the campaign. You have helped us get over half way to the target that will allow us to make the case for clinical trial transparency in Europe and around the world. If you haven’t already please donate anything you can, even small amounts make a difference www.justgiving.com/alltrials

Thank you too to those of you who offered to help us develop the campaign website. If we haven’t been in touch yet we will be very soon.

Everyone can keep up with news from the campaign at http://www.alltrials.net/news/ and follow #AllTrials on Twitter.

Best wishes

Síle
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Done! Screw big business and their manipulating ways!
 
will sign, heres one went into my local pharmacy the other day it said do not give generic its too expensive, on a sign that customers could see!
 
Nakamova said:
Recommended reading for everyone: Bad Pharma by Ben Goldacre, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bad_Pharma

It details the many, many, many ways* in which the Big Pharmaceutical companies are putting profits over patient welfare to bring their drugs to market.

*rigging studies, withholding or fudging bad results, lying, bribing regulators and doctors...
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Another book that I haven't read yet but it looks very interesting and deals with how inefficient the system is is [ame="http://www.amazon.com/Science-Sale-Rewards-Delusions-Capitalism/dp/0226306259"]Science for Sale: The Perils, Rewards, and Delusions of Campus Capitalism: Daniel S. Greenberg: 9780226306254: Amazon.com: Books@@AMEPARAM@@http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/410fQ4-vU4L.@@AMEPARAM@@410fQ4-vU4L[/ame] by Daniel S. Greenberg.
 
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For those in Europe

I just got this e-mail that may interest you

Dear Friends

Today the new head of pharmaceutical company Lilly UK Jean-Michel Cosséry said that patients don’t want companies like his to spend their money sharing “old data.” These “old data” are, of course, the results on which all treatments in current use are based! Perhaps he is hoping that AllTrials can be headed off into a siding, like all previous attempts to establish transparency.

A committee of MEPs will soon vote on proposals that would increase transparency of clinical trials. However, there are 350 lobbyists for the pharmaceutical industry at the European Parliament. MEPs are hearing Cosséry’s arguments against transparency (and others) every day. We have until 29th May to make sure they hear our arguments.

The trust of patients who have volunteered for clinical trials is betrayed when findings generated by their participation are locked away
Incomplete information means doctors could make bad treatment decisions and miss opportunities for good medicine
Researchers don’t know what was found in previous trials, or even that some trials happened, so trials are repeated unnecessarily

If you are in Europe:

The committee looking at the clinical trial regulation has 67 MEPs from 22 different European countries. Their names, the countries they represent and their email addresses can be found here. http://www.europarl.europa.eu/committees/en/envi/members.html#menuzone

Please write to the MEP(s) from your country telling them why you want increased transparency. Let us know if you have written to them and if you get a response.

If you are not in Europe:

We know these kinds of discussions are going on with every regulator around the world. Please talk to us about how AllTrials can take off in every country.

Best regards

Síle

www.AllTrials.net

Please donate at https://www.justgiving.com/alltrials
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