Science

Drugging Kids

by Bob Burton — November 13, 2006 - 3:37am

Even though the European Medicines Agency has endorsed the use of Prozac and similar drugs in children over eight, medical researchers doubt the appropriateness of prescribing such powerful drugs in all but rare cases.

Main Source: 
The Sunday Times (UK), November 12, 2006

At Long Last, Can We Please Start Counting the Dead?

by Sheldon Rampton — November 10, 2006 - 11:36pm
  • Topics: Iraq, Human Rights, Science

    • Under the strange Bizarro rules that right-wing pundits use to interpret politics in the United States, election season is the time when no one is supposed to discuss any of the things that might actually have a serious impact on their voting decision.

    Roche's Cancer Front Group Flounders

    by Bob Burton — October 22, 2006 - 3:52am

    Cancer United, a cancer patient group created and launched by the PR firm Weber Shandwick with funding from the drug company Roche, has got off to a rocky start. On its website the group states that it aims to run an 18-month-long campaign for more uniform cancer treatments across the European Union.

    Main Source: 
    Guardian (UK), October 20, 2006

    Legal Chill Worries Drug Bulletin

    by Bob Burton — October 16, 2006 - 1:35am

    The case of a judge granting an injunction to prevent a group of medical professionals publishing a critical review of the herbal drug Tebonin has the editor of a major drug bulletin worried. The editor of Australian Prescriber, John Dowden, notes that in two other instances where drug companies sued drug bulletins, the judgements favoured the publishers.

    Main Source: 
    Australian Prescriber, October 2006

    Faulty Accounting

    by Bob Burton — October 13, 2006 - 4:56am

    The British Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) has upheld a complaint against a Scottish energy utility that claimed that a tree planting scheme funded by consumers volunteering to pay a higher tariff would offset their carbon emissions. The ASA told Scottish & Southern Energy (SSE) to withdraw a brochure promoting the scheme. SSE had argued that the average household produced 4.65 tonnes of carbon dioxide a year from gas usage and household waste.

    Main Source: 
    Guardian (UK), October 12, 2006

    Unmasking Fossil Fuel Lobby Groups

    by Bob Burton — September 27, 2006 - 9:26am

    George Monbiot argues that journalists and media outlets routinely fail to ensure adequate disclosure of the funding sources when including interviewing staff from think tanks on global warming.

    Main Source: 
    Guardian (UK), September 26, 2006

    Will the Tiger Switch Think Tanks?

    by Diane Farsetta — September 21, 2006 - 11:53am

    Following sharp criticism from Britain's Royal Society, Exxon Mobil says it is reviewing which of the groups "that challenge the scientific validity of concerns about global warming" it will continue to fund.

    Main Source: 
    Wall Street Journal (sub req'd), September 21, 2006

    Scary Evidence

    by Bob Burton — September 16, 2006 - 3:45am

    British Columbia's Deputy Minister of Health, Gordon Macatee, ordered a lunchtime presentation on disease mongering cancelled until a drug industry speaker could be added.

    Main Source: 
    Monday Magazine (Canada), September 13, 2006

    Drug Company's Hearing Too Sensitive For Criticism

    by Bob Burton — August 17, 2006 - 5:36pm
  • Topics: Activism, Democracy, Health, International, Marketing, Pharmaceuticals, Science

    • One of the marketing success stories in the world of herbal pills is the hype and advertising that has made Tebonin one of the big-time sellers. If you believe the ads, popping a Tebonin pill a day will relieve tinnitus (the ringing sound some people have in their ears), dizziness and even improve mental alertness. The promoters claim the drug, which is based on a patented extract from the ginkgo biloba tree, improves "impaired micro-circulation," reduces "free radicals" and "promotes optimum cell function."

    According to the German manufacturer, Dr. Willmar Schwabe GmbH & Co KG, eight million pills are consumed every day. Schwabe, like so many companies in the herbal supplements sector, trades on its feel-good image. "From Nature, For Health," its website claims. That's the story the company wants you to hear. However, when a small group of Australian doctors and pharmacists, AusPharm Consumer Health Watch, drafted a report raising doubts about the benefits of Tebonin, they discovered a company that was not so warm and fuzzy. Soon after sending a copy of their draft report to the company, they were hit with a writ seeking an injunction that may bury their critical assessment forever.

    Did Consultants Cook the UK Nuclear Review Books?

    by Diane Farsetta — August 7, 2006 - 1:24pm

    "I wondered why [nuclear power] was being pushed and pushed and pushed," said British parliamentarian Dai Davies, in response to news that "key consultants" working on the UK National Energy Review "have strong links to the nuclear industry." The Observer reports that AEA Technology handled public submissions for the review.

    Main Source: 
    The Observer (UK), August 6, 2006
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