Johnson & Johnson and Janssen: What Did They Know? What Did They Do?
In December 13, 1993, the FDA approved Risperdal for treating psychiatric problems in adults. Nearly 10 years later — in April 2002 — FDA revised its recommendations and said that Risperdal could be used for “treatment of schizophrenia” in adults. A year and a half later, in December 2003, FDA approved Risperdal for use in […]
A Deeper Look at the Science of Gynecomastia and Risperdal
The next few posts will explore in depth the research that has been conducted on the relationship between gynecomastia, prolactin levels and Risperdal. The language quoted in these studies can get quite technical. However, the goal is not to demonstrate that any single study is “world changing” but rather to show how many diverse studies […]
Lipitor Side Effects
What, Exactly, Are They? Where’s the Proof? Do drugs like Lipitor have side effects? If so, what are they? How severe are they? How common are they? Dr. Richard Milani, the Head of Preventive Cardiology at Ochsner Clinic Foundation in New Orleans, who serves on Pfizer’s Speakers’ Bureau, told the popular medical site, WebMD the […]
Using a Dictionary, Instead of Science, to Assess Granuflo Dangers
The following story offers a powerful glimpse at the deep pathology at work in Fresenius. Recall that different acid formulations cause different biochemical responses in the liver. Some acids promote higher blood bicarbonate levels than others do. Recall also that higher blood bicarbonate levels can lead to metabolic alkalosis, which can in turn cause cardiac […]
The Surprising and Unfortunate Biochemistry of Sodium Diacetate
Other dialysis acid products need to be transported as liquids. Sodium diacetate formulations, on the other hand, can be transported dry. This can help dialysis companies save on shipping and handling costs. In other words: the only reason a company would use a sodium diacetate solution would be to save costs, NOT to improve patient […]
November 4, 2011 is a day that should live in infamy.
November 4, 2011 is a day that should live in infamy. On November 4, 2011, Fresenius Medical Care (FMC) published an internal memo that held very disturbing news — news that could potentially cost the company billions of dollars. Reports had emerged that 941 GranuFlo patients had suffered heart attacks linked with the use of […]
The Basics of GranuFlo: How It Works… and Why It Can Be Dangerous
GranuFlo is what is known as a dry acid dialysate. It helps clean the blood of dialysis patients, who accumulate impurities when their kidneys stop filtering effectively. Here is how a dialysis machine typically works. The machine measures out a ratio of an acid solution, purified water, and a bicarbonate solution to mix with the […]
Pushing Untested Drugs on Children: All Part of the Plan
Even if there were no links between the use of Risperdal and bad side effects, like gynecomastia, why on Earth would an ethical drug manufacturer push drugs on young children that had not been tested and that offered no clear benefits? Fortunately, Janssen gave up after that attempt and obeyed the rules. Actually, that didn’t […]
Reward for Tricking Children into Taking Dangerous Medicines That They Didn’t Need? Billions of Dollars!
Notwithstanding the handwringing from the FDA — and the fact that “safety and effectiveness [of Risperdal] in children had not been established” — Janssen launched a massive marketing campaign to sell Risperdal, off label, to children. What happened next? How was this chicanery rewarded? The drug maker reaped billions of dollars in profits. Fortunately, the […]
Introduction: A Journalistic Look at the Lipitor Lawsuit
Our forthcoming blog series offers a primer for Lipitor patients and their families. It aims to help people understand the objective truth about the side effects of statin drugs, like Lipitor. Whether you developed diabetes after taking Lipitor or suffered other highly unpleasant side effects, such as muscle or liver problems, this guide will […]