Rx Drugs: Timed-Release Bribery?

“An analysis by the publication Science has ‘found widespread after-the-fact payments or research support’ from pharmaceutical companies to expert officials who advised the Food and Drug Administration to approve those companies’ drugs.”

— “Pharma companies pay FDA advisers after drugs are approved,” Bob Herman, Axios

More:

“Hidden conflicts? Pharma payments to FDA advisers after drug approvals spark ethical concerns,” Charles Piller and Jia You, Science

“Majority of doctors who oversee FDA drug approval receive payments from companies they monitor, report shows,” Clark Mindock, The Independent

____________

Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-rUa

Top image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Virginia Snake Oil: Love Potion?

In the soap opera that is the public corruption trial of former Virginia Governor Bob McDonnell and his former NFL Cheerleader wife Maureen, the defense claims the couple’s relationship was bad, so the Gov didn’t know the Mrs. had a crush on “diet supplement” peddler Jonnie Williams and tried to trade government favors in return for his high-priced gifts. Today, however, the focus shifted to the patent nostrum sold by said Mr. Williams, a snake oil named Anatabloc.

The active ingredient in Anatabloc is Anatabine, an alkaloid derived from tobacco. Star Scientific, Mr. William’s company at the time, sold discount cigarettes and smokeless tobacco through a subsidiary, but sales weren’t too good, so … right. Anatabloc was said to “reduce inflammation and support a healthy metabolism” but was marketed as a “dietary supplement” to avoid those pesky clinical trials required of drugs. That didn’t keep the firm from claiming that the crap could mitigate Alzheimer’s disease, multiple sclerosis, thyroiditis and traumatic brain injuries. You know, like a drug. Finally, the FDA caught them at it and issued a stern letter. Heavens to Betsy.

So that’s what Virginia First Lady Maureen McDonnell was shilling in the Executive Mansion in 2011 on behalf of love interest Jonnie Williams.  Mr. Williams claims he viewed the gifts of luxury items and loans of his vacation resort home and Ferrari sports car to the Governor and his wife as part of a business relationship, but Mrs. McDonnell’s lawyer claims she was smitten with Mr. Williams.

Wait a minute. Is romantic attraction a result of taking Anatabloc? That’s worth billions.

Drugs on TV

The U.S. government has allowed prescription drug hucksters to come between patients and their doctors for over a dozen years now. Television commercials give consumers important medical information by using images of flowers, butterflies, smiling faces, puppies, and kittens. They also enrich our culture with the sheer poetry of those lists of side effects.

Girl Scouts Fib About Fatty Cookies

The Girl Scouts gave some of their cookies a merit badge they really don’t deserve.

Boxes of Samoas, Tagalongs and Thin Mints, the most popular cookies in the whole troop, have worn “0 grams trans fat” badges since 2007, but partially hydrogenated oils are their second and third largest ingredients.

But don’t blame the GSA, blame the FDA. Food and Drug Administration rules allow products to be marked “0 grams trans fat” if the amount per serving is below 0.5 grams. So if you make food out of artery-clogging trans fatty acids, just make the servings smaller and you can label those packages “0 grams trans fat,” too.

 More:

“The Girl Scout Cookie lie: No trans-fats,” The Week.

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

GAO: Beef Up Foreign Food Inspection

Barry Estabrook points out that Senate legislation mandating more regulation and inspection of US food growers and processors ignores the globalization of our nation’s food supply:

“There are about 190,000 registered foreign facilities that produce food for export to the United States. Of those, only 200 (roughly 1 out of every 1,000) were inspected by the FDA.”

See the Government Accountability Office report on this issue: “FDA Could Strengthen Oversight of Imported Food by Improving Enforcement and Seeking Additional Authorities,” Statement of Lisa Shames, Director, Natural Resources and Environment, GAO, May 6, 2010.

Hat tip: MarkBittman.com

 

Image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

Add to: Facebook | Digg | Del.icio.us | Stumbleupon | Reddit | Blinklist | Twitter | Technorati | Yahoo Buzz | Newsvine

Stealth MSG

An FDA recall of contaminated acid-hydrolyzed vegetable protein (HVP) has led to scrutiny of this misunderstood ingredient of industrial food products. HVP sounds like a means of adding nourishment to manufactured foodstuffs, but it is actually a flavor-enhancer, a  neuro-exciter. Active ingredient: glutamic acid. You may recognize one of its salts, monosodium glutamate (MSG). 

FDA Inspectors at Work!

Image: U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Honest.

 

Why is everybody saying such mean things about FDA inspection of medical devices, drugs, and the food supply?

As you can plainly see (above), FDA Investigators Mac and Molly are on the job!  Is that a peanut butter factory?

Join Mac and Molly for fun and games at FDA!

 

Note: Bugs and rats get sick from eating tainted peanut butter, too, so refresh this page if they stop moving. FDA is probably testing a “Refresh Patch” for use on humans. Keen!

Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.

FDA Says Choose Your Poison

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will now allow irradiation of fresh spinach and iceberg lettuce at a dose up to 4.0 kiloGray (kGy). This will kill harmful microbes like E. coli.

The FDA approved irradiation of wheat flour back in 1963, potatoes in 1964, fruit, vegetables, herbs and spices in 1986. Along with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), FDA also approved irradiation of pork, poultry, and unspecified meat. Look in the meat case for the glow-in-the-dark green labels.

FDA Menu du Jour

Today: Tomatoes good; jalapeños bad.

Yesterday:  Jalapeños good; tomatoes bad.

Tomorrow: Will the media help us realize that the current Salmonella saintpaul mini-outbreak does not necessarily have a single-point source?

Nah.