Grassley Probes Financing of Advocacy Group for Mental Health
Nicole Gaouette, Bloomberg.com. 2009/04/06

In a letter sent today to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, based in Arlington, Virginia, U.S. Senator Charles Grassley asked the nonprofit group to disclose any financial backing from drug companies or from foundations created by the industry.

The group identifies itself as the largest grassroots organization in the U.S. for people with mental illness and their families. The group came under scrutiny in 1999, when the magazine Mother Jones reported that 18 drug companies gave the group $11.7 million from 1996 to mid-1999.

Vera Sharav, president of the Alliance for Human Research Protection, a New York-based nonprofit that promotes ethical research, said, "Academics and physicians give an appearance of authority. Industry gives them the money. Grassley has been going after each group systematically, and the dots are being connected."

To move more prescription drugs, sales reps sling swag
Kris Hundley, Times Staff Writer, TampaBay.com. 2009/04/05

Pharmaceutical sales rep records reveal in detail how doctors' ethics are easily bought.  In 2004 alone, the drug industry spent $7 billion on marketing directly to doctors.

Use of Antipsychotics in Children Is Criticized
Gardiner Harris, The New York Times. 2008/11/18

Powerful antipsychotic medicines are being used far too cavalierly in children, and federal drug regulators must do more to warn doctors of their substantial risks, a panel of federal drug experts said Tuesday.

AstraZeneca's Seroquel on FDA warning list
Andrew Eder, DelawareOnline, The News Journal. 2008/09/06

AstraZeneca's antipsychotic drug Seroquel is one of 20 medications being investigated for potential safety problems, federal regulators said Friday.

Exposed: Harvard Shrink Gets Rich Labeling Kids Bipolar
Bruce E. Levine, AlterNet. 2008/06/18

Meet the man who got rich by popularizing bipolar disorder for children.  Congressional investigators and the NY Times expose the scandal.

Survey suggests U.S. research misconduct is common
Reuters.com 2008/06/18

Study results have been warped by the influence of pharmaceutical industry research funding.  Nine percent of scientists surveyed said they personally saw fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism.

NARPA News

News from Parents Against TeenScreen - E-mail - Petition - Video
You can find copies of the lawsuits States have filed here: http://www.psychsearch.net/lawsuits.html, along with newspaper articles about the lawsuits.

South Carolina Says J&J Improperly Marketed Drug
Bloomberg.com 2007/05/24

South Carolina has been added to the growing list of states that have sued antipsychotic makers. South Carolina has sued Eli Lilly (Zyprexa), Janssen (Risperdal) and AstraZeneca (Seroquel).

The new antipsychotic drugs are known as the TMAP antipsychotics - Texas Medication Algorithm (guidelines) Project. TMAP and TeenScreen were both recommended by the New Freedom Commission on Mental Health. See the 2004 British Medical Journal article Bush plans to screen whole US population for mental illness

State plans lawsuit against drug firms
Arkansas Democrat-Gazette 2007/09/22

Arkansas is planning a lawsuit against Eli Lilly, Janssen Pharmaceutica and Astra Zeneca for "improper and unlawful marketing" of anti-psychotic drugs. The drugs in question are Zyprexa, Risperdal and Seroquel. The Medicaid program of Arkansas has spent $200 million on those drugs over the last eight years and, under Arkansas' Medicaid fraud law, the state could collect three times that much.

The tally so far?

11 states have sued Eli Lilly regarding Zyprexa (olanzapine): Alaska, Connecticut, Idaho, Louisiana, Mississippi, Montana, New Mexico, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Utah, and West Virginia.
6 states have sued Johnson & Johnson (Jansen) regarding Risperdal (risperidone): Arkansas, Louisiana, Montana, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, and Texas.
4 states have sued AstraZeneca regarding Seroquel (quetiapine): Arkansas, Montana, Pennsylvania, and South Carolina.

The TRUE Cost Of Prescription Drugs!
With up to 570,000% markups, people would kill for profits like these.  The women who wrote and signed this are Federal Budget Analysts in Washington, D.C.