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Doctors warned VA about Chantix in 2007 - VA did nothing »

Posted by: bubba2 1 month, 3 weeks ago

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Doctors began raising red flags last year about whether the drug Chantix was causing severe psychotic episodes among veterans, prompting a quiet investigation last fall but no warning for the veterans prescribed the medication. Meanwhile, more veterans were prescribed the drug, including some suffering PTSD who were enrolled in a medical experiment

Read Full Story at washingtontimes.com

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Comments So Far: 23

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rightfromwrong1 month, 3 weeks ago

another example of how America treats it's veterans....they couldn't give a damn about them
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  TheAttacks1 month, 3 weeks ago
  
  Regular people weren't aware of the side effects any sooner than the veterans...
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    bubba21 month, 3 weeks ago
    
    BUT ... veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who may be suffering from PTSD or any other psychological trauma can be SEVERELY impacted by the side-effects. Those veterans should NOT have been 'recruited' to test or otherwise have been given that drug. AT THE LEAST, full disclosure of the side-effects should have been provided to all veterans using Chantix.
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      libsRfunny1 month, 3 weeks ago
      
      The test was to help determine side effects. For all you know, the veterans were informed about potential side effects before volunteering for the study.
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        bubba21 month, 3 weeks ago
        
        Read the article.
        The veterans were NOT informed of the side effects!
        Typical knee-jerk reaction to something you are not even informed about ...
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        miklkit1 month, 3 weeks ago
        
        For all you know that drug was never tested at all until our soldiers were used as laboratory rats.
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        Teech1 month, 3 weeks ago
        
        Surprise! The VA KNEW, and did nothing! The VA, another arm of the corrupt, inept, let's-get-filthy-rich Bush administration, who have been in bed with and in debt to (for huge contributions) big pharm and big oil, spends top dollar for a drug that makes vets nuts. They find out about it, but, hey! - There's billions in profits to be made using vets as guinea pigs. What's the fuss. The money is fantastic and they're just damaged vets! Screw 'em! Expendable in Iraq, and more expendable when returning from combat!
        Bush and Neocon politics as usual. Preach one thing, get Rush and FOX to validate the lie, and then screw the vets, bankrupt the nation, export a million jobs, promote war and destroy the economy. Run up a ten trillion national debt just for a kicker. Who needs terrorists to want to destroy America when the Bushtapo has been doing it for 7 years!
        Again - Mission Accomplished!
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  BB641 month, 3 weeks ago
  
  wrong from wrong, the warnings were not issued to fire or police either. I don't see a problem with the timing. The FDA can either react so quickly over something and over blow a situation or under react, the product remains on the market for years. A problem was noted and a warming issued.
  As for Vets, because of our problems from combat, many treatments and products have been fast tracked into general use. Look at the paramedics, emergency rooms, and air ambulances, all were developed from the military.
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normallysilent1 month, 3 weeks ago

read again,
Were the rest of us informed any sooner? No

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  tkyrchncs1 month, 3 weeks ago
  
  The rate of psychosis for this drug is high among the "normal" population, and it should not be prescribed for anyone with even borderline depression. The veterans are a special population with disproportionate number of depression/ptsd sufferers, so extreme caution should be the order of the day in their cases.
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drbest1 month, 3 weeks ago

Thank you for your service and welcome to our lab rat program!
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willottica1 month, 3 weeks ago

"When questioned, the VA immediately wants to defend 'the process,'" said Rep. Bob Filner, California Democrat. "When is the VA going to understand that it is not about the process, but about the veteran? Veterans don't want to hear the VA defend its process. It's time for the VA to defend our veterans, our heroes."
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  BB641 month, 3 weeks ago
  
  Another DNC ploy to distract. A VA scandal and those terrible Republicans screwing the vets again. Give me a break. The product has problems that didn't show up during the trials. Perhaps they should have tried this on people with stress prone jobs, military, fire fighters, police, air traffic controllers and the like, in a controlled test, but they didn't. The product is being removed from the VA and might be restricted from the general public. This isn't that huge a deal, there are drug failures all of the time. Remember the first attempts at an Aids vaccine? The first 50 were military.
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    bubba21 month, 3 weeks ago
    
    It IS a "huge deal"!
    Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan who may be suffering from PTSD or any other psychological trauma can be SEVERELY impacted by the side-effects of that drug.
    Those men and women have already been through HELL via their tours of duty in those 2 countries. Why is our government not doing DUE DILIGENCE to NOT subject them to even more trauma or possibly DEATH?
    I consider the service that the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans have given to this country to be a sacrifice WAY ABOVE any sort or normal 'call to duty' or normal risks of being in the Armed Services.
    It's a sad commentary that our government does not understand that. Those veterans deserve the BEST treatment and consideration possible, but too many get nothing anywhere NEAR that.
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      BB641 month, 3 weeks ago
      
      First off, I'm one of the vets from Panama, Grenada, and Gulf War, so before you fall off your pedestal onto your fat liberal a-s, actually read what I said.
      Due diligence? Did you not see my other conditions? The drug passed testing that met all of the FDA standards. If there's a problem with the standards, change them. But be prepared for the additional cost. We're talking about a anti-smoking drug. When you take into account how many If you're one of those guys getting their Prozac from Canada, you're part of the problem. By buying out of the country, you're not supporting the research fund necessary for researching new drugs. Research and testing is very costly. Manufacturing can't create new products much less support current products without profit.
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        hyperbola1 month, 3 weeks ago
        
        My heavens. Someone actually thinks that bushie daddy killing 5000 poor panamanians by aerial bombing of cities is something to be proud of?
        Apart from that, we have now accepted so much corruption from drug companies that a thorough cleaning out of the stables in the FDA is required.
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        bubba21 month, 3 weeks ago
        
        The FDA has no standards - they have become just as politicized as the rest of the administration. They approve what they want based on who their corporate (pharma) buddies are and how they can benefit (financially ) from it.
        Who changes the standards? The administration ... not holding my breath ....
        What ARE you talking about regarding buying 'out of the country'?
        The article is about using veterans in drug tests for drugs that can enhance - negatively - existing problems such as PTSD and other psychoses. The people performing the drug tests KEPT ON DOING the tests even AFTER they were being warned about the problems.
        AND - they continued to NOT inform any of the recipients of the drugs about the SERIOUS problems even after they knew about them.
        The drug companies need research funds? You really buy all that propaganda (that is why drug prices are so high in this country)? More and more of OUR drugs are actually being manufactured overseas!
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        bubba21 month, 3 weeks ago
        
        Do you know how many BILLIONS of dollars are spent each year on prescription drug ads on TV and in magazines and on the Internet?
        The pharmas are making so much money they are rolling in it, and they use their 'patrons' in D.C. to help them spread their propaganda that they have to charge loads of money for their product because so much money is needed for 'research'.
        It is the SAME spiel as with the Oil Companies, and it is the CONSUMERS in this country that continue to get shafted and fall deeper into financial holes because of the cost of drugs and gasoline on top of everything else (like health care!).
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    willottica1 month, 3 weeks ago
    
    I agree with you BB, there's no way to know all the problems from the trials, and the republicans and VA aren't trying to screw the soldiers.
    However, "our process is sound" is the cover-your-ass attitude employed by most American companies because they fear that if they admit mistakes then they open themselves up to lawsuits.
    I still contend that if you admit you did something wrong and express regret, then people will be less likely to WANT to sue you (unless of course, ambulance-chasers convince the victim it's in their best interest).
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    wtagg1 month, 3 weeks ago
    
    I see no mention of dems blaming reps. That is conjecture on your part.
    If you think the VA is doing a great job in regards to our vets, then fine. I think others may believe that the VA system needs to be looked at. We ask a lot of our vets, you included. The VA, just like our vets, should be the best it can be. Supporting our vets continues long past their mustering out of the service.
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Tcaros1 month, 3 weeks ago

It's an obfuscation. The psychosis is being induced through other means. Don't ever take an admission of fault at face value. Here is how it works; they have to spread disinformation to cover up the pyschosis episodes. So, they say it may be related to some drug they've been giving them. The real reason never gets investigate.
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Pricebreak1 month, 3 weeks ago

Who knew giving up cigarettes would start a whole new set of problems?
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Amazing11 month, 3 weeks ago

From the article: "When is the VA going to understand that it is not about the process, but about the veteran? Veterans donÂ´t want to hear the VA defend its process. ItÂ´s time for the VA to defend our veterans, our heroes."
And when are drug companies going to understand that its mandate is to help cure people, not just sell drugs? And when is the FDA going to understand that it should be a watchdog protecting the public and not the drug companies?
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