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indecline,

just to add to that, the huge drug companies like pfizer, merck, etc. do anything to push their new products before the patent expires. they dismiss the negatives, like dangerous side effects of these "miracle" drugs like vioxx, celebrex and bextra, just to name a few, while pushing other drugs for unapproved uses and off-label prescribing, as in the case of neurontin! they actually lied to doctors about nonexistant studies and tests that were never conducted. my doctor won't rx something that works for me, no, but i got celebrex, enough to put me in the danger zone, and now as much neurontin as my poor body can handle. the side effects are killing me.

here, from ahrp

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Tue, 29 Oct 2002

Internal company documents unsealed in a federal lawsuit reveal how the unholy alliance between doctors and drug companies has corrupted medical practice and defrauded the US taxpayer.

Although it is illegal for drug companies to promote a drug for conditions not approved by the FDA, The New York Times reports that internal memoranda presented in court, show evidence that Warner-Lambert did just that when it promoted Neurotonin, a drug approved only for epilepsy. Instead of conducting clinical trials to test the safety and efficacy of Neurontin for the conditions it promoted, the company (now owned by Pfizer) spent money "educating" doctors, encouraging them to prescribe the drug for unproven uses to their patients with diabetes and bi-polar disorder. Neurotonin sales are said to exceed $2 billion this year. The US attorney's office in Boston is conducting criminal and civil inquiries into the defrauding taxpayers of tens of millions of Medicaid dollars.

The case demonstrates that federal oversight agencies --such as the FDA--do not protect the public against illegal corporate practices. Instead, we must turn to litigation to protect the public health and purse...



Pfizer said in 2000 that more than 78 percent of Neurontin prescriptions were written for unapproved uses. This year, sales of the drug are expected to exceed $2 billion. Pfizer says it is cooperating with investigators and cannot comment in more detail due to the pending litigation.

Under federal law, doctors can prescribe drugs in any way they believe will best help patients. But it is illegal for a drug maker to promote a medicine for conditions that are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration, which requires detailed clinical trials showing its safety and effectiveness....

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and this was over 2 years ago and the drug is now still being more widely prescribed off-label than ever!!!! here is the LINK so you can read more.

and doctors are so scared of prescribing narcotics and risk losing their license, that they figure if they rx neurontin, no one can complain that they are not being treated, and if neurontin causes anyone to get hurt or worse, the drug company will be the one to get sued. or at least that's how i see it.....

angel

p.s. indecline, love your avatar! i saw "ringu" before i saw "the ring". (being half-japanese, i knew it was the original). i haven't had a chance to see the sequels, though, but i bought the whole dvd set for a family member x-mas 2003. or was it x-mas 2002? hell, i can't remember...

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Angel,

You are dead on. Look what the [censored] like Vioxx, Celebrex, Ultram, etc etc etc are doing to people; but nobody gave them a second look when prescribed by the barrel-full simply because they are "non-narcotic".

What is "neurontin"? Is it a migraine medication?

BTW, my wife is Japanese - she grew up in Tokyo, so we are big fans of all the great Japanese horror films, I liked Ringu and The Ring equally the same - haven't seen the American version of Ju-On (the Grudge) yet, although that creaking sound still freaks my wife out if I do it behind her back

I noticed an guitar in your avatar, do you play? I have been playing the drums since I was about 14 ... which is about 18 years now (sheesh, I'm getting old!).

Don't know if you heard of them, but Yellow Machinegun is one of my all-time favorite bands - they are an all girl, Japanese metal/hardcore band - what's great about them is that if you saw them you would never figure them for a hardcore band - they all look like cute and innocent little Japanese schoolgirls who weigh no more than 150lbs all added together But when they play - watch out!

Sorry for going off topic a bit - take care.

indecline