MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'chronicles'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:13:01 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4753886&cid=t_174625_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F9Wk_mdxjoSg%2F The Lithium Chronicles is a Blisstree series focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder. Last time in The Lithium Chronicles, we heard Ross McKenzie’s story of how he got fired by his psychiatrist when he decided to go off of lithium, a drug he took daily for 15 years. Bipolar patients going off of lithium is already a pretty controversial topic. But there’s an extra twist in Ross’ story that isn’t exactly in the mainstream. Ross attributes the process of chelation with much of his mental health today. Ross has been off of lithium and symptom free for over a year. But when he was in his early 20s, Ross had all of his metal dental fillings replaced. It wasn’t until a few years ago that he was tested for metals in his blood stream and found his resu... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4753886 Tue, 26 Apr 2011 20:47:51 +0100 4753886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4684630&cid=t_174625_131_f&fid=34989&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.b5media.com%2F%7Er%2Fb5media%2FGeneticsHealth%2F%7E3%2F269tqQJo1ik%2F The Lithium Chronicles is a Blisstree series focusing on the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder. Ross McKenzie was diagnosed as bipolar at the age of 21. After 15 years of daily lithium doses, he went off his meds last February. He’s been drug free ever since. This is the continuing story of how he made his way back to a life without psychotropic medication, after he ended up walking naked down a highway on one ill-fated night. At the end of my first year on lithium, I almost died. For an entire year I had been taking 1200 milligrams of lithium a day. At the end of the year my psychiatrist called me in a panic telling me to drop my dosage immediately: “Your test results were in the extreme toxic range. Which can cause death.” All psychotropic drugs are highly toxic. ... Genetics and Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4684630 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 15:32:52 +0100 4684630 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3757865&cid=t_174625_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Funease-about-blogging-and-social-media-in-medicine%2F2010.07.15 Although it happened a few weeks ago, I only recently learned of the “retirement” of the blog called “Medic999” by EMS social media superstar Mark Glencourse who works in the United Kingdom. I only learned of Mark and his blog (which was recognized as the 2009 Fire/EMS Blog of the Year) in the past few months in association with the hugely popular Chronicles of EMS project (see the first episode on video here). In stating why he was stopping his blog, unfortunately, I find similar thoughts being shared by the medical colleagues I know about why people either stop blogging or don’t ever start in the first place: I find it a shame that the reason for this blog ending is the general lack of understanding of blogging and social media. I feel that I have promote... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3757865 Thu, 15 Jul 2010 14:00:00 +0100 3757865 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3632283&cid=t_174625_101_f&fid=38969&url=http%3A%2F%2Ftheemtspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2F04%2Fname-the-chronicles-contest%2F If you subscribe to splatter (The twice monthly newsletter of The EMT Spot) you already knew that there was a big announcement coming today. You’ve just been standing by for the nitty-gritty details. what can I say? Sometimes it’s nice to have the inside track. If you don’t get Splatter you should really consider signing up by typing your name and e-mail address in the sidebar box. Then you can get the inside juice as well. In any case, here’s the big news. The Chronicles of EMS is getting ready to go big time. They’re pitching this show to everyone from The Discovery Channel to Oprahlooking for a network. One piece of feedback they’ve been getting is that the show needs a new name. The Chronicles of EMS – The Reality Series just doesn’t slid... The EMT Spot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3632283 Fri, 04 Jun 2010 18:13:34 +0100 3632283 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2758110&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2009%2F09%2Fnew_batch_of_zyprexa_documents_online.html As many of you no doubt know, a trickle of documents from class action cases against Eli Lilly over its antipsychotic Zyprexa have been flying around lately. These documents are in addition to the Zyprexa court documents leaked to the public in late-2006. You can access the new documents here. The court ordered them unsealed, so their use and distribution is unrestricted as far as I know. My own collection of the earlier Zyprexa documents is here. From my review of the new documents so far, I can tell you that there are no smoking guns but that they do add more detail and texture to what's already known about Lilly's behavior. Lilly has settled about $2.7 billion in claims already, has pleaded guilty to a criminal misdemeanor charge and is expected to settle other outstanding cases in th... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2758110 Mon, 31 Aug 2009 23:00:00 +0100 2758110 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2621997&cid=t_174625_134_f&fid=34841&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.diabetesmine.com%2F2009%2F07%2Ftaming-the-tiger-new-diabetes-survival-guide.html Fellow diabetes blogger and advocate William “Lee” Dubois is at it again, creating another super-handy pocket guide for dealing with the Big D.  This one, which debuts tomorrow, is called “Taming the Tiger: Your First Year with Diabetes.”  And it rocks! Er, roars, if you will… It’s a slim volume of just over 100 pages (less [...] (Source: Diabetes Mine) Diabetes Mine blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2621997 Mon, 20 Jul 2009 17:00:31 +0100 2621997 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2458404&cid=t_174625_134_f&fid=35219&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.candiddiabetes.com%2Fcandid_diabetes%2F2009%2F06%2Fcgms-three-years-later.html This past Tuesday, June 2, marked year three of my adventure with Minimed's Paradigm 522 continuous glucose monitoring system. Three years seems too short - it feels more like ten years ago when I inserted my very first sensor, connected... (Source: Candid Diabetes) Candid Diabetes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2458404 Sun, 07 Jun 2009 06:16:06 +0100 2458404 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2405532&cid=t_174625_111_f&fid=34660&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.codeblog.com%2Farchives%2Fnursing_assistant_chronicles%2Fbeam-yourself-aboard-change-of-shift.html …. Which is up over at Emergiblog!  The only Star Trek I ever really watched all the way through was Voyager (ok… and lots of the Captain Picard one), but between her effusive praise and my husband’s nagging encouragement, I have a feeling I’ll be seeing this new Star Trek movie at some point! The next Change of Shift is here at codeblog in two weeks.  There is no theme, just send some good posts :)  to codeblogrn at gmail. (Source: code blog: tales of a nurse) code blog: tales of a nurse blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2405532 Thu, 14 May 2009 15:23:14 +0100 2405532 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2167704&cid=t_174625_134_f&fid=35219&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.candiddiabetes.com%2Fcandid_diabetes%2F2009%2F02%2Fpimp-my-pump.html Just after Christmas I had to buy my very first box of glucose sensors. Well, not my very first box considering I've been using the Paradigm RT for almost three years; but the very first box that I've actually had... (Source: Candid Diabetes) Candid Diabetes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2167704 Sat, 07 Feb 2009 08:36:07 +0100 2167704 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2150792&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2009%2F02%2Flilly_halfapologizes_to_patients_for_zyprexa_scandal.html As I noted on Friday, last week Eli Lilly and company specifically apologized to investors for act covered by its guilty plea to a criminal misdemeanor charge. The charge concerned Zyprexa and the company's illegal off-label marketing of the drug for dementia. I was frustrated that the company, in my view, had apologized to its investors (who do deserve an apology, of course), but not to patients, so I contact Lilly by phone and email asking why it hadn't apologized specifically to patients and whether it planned to do so. For the first time ever, Lilly responded to a query of mine. From Phil Belt, the company's director of product media relations comes this: "On the day the settlement was announced Lilly issued a press release that expressed deep regret for our past actions covered by ... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2150792 Mon, 02 Feb 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2150792 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1894955&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F10%2Flilly_to_settle_another_14_billion_in_zyprexa_charges.html Yesterday, Lilly announced that it's on the verge of settling federal claims over accusations involving the company's handling of Zyprexa: "Eli Lilly & Co. said it is having ``advanced discussions'' to settle investigations by U.S. and state authorities over marketing the antipsychotic Zyprexa and will take a $1.42 billion charge in the third quarter." The settlement, which federal authorities wouldn't comment upon, would be a record. It would also apparently not affect other claims by 32 states and the District of Columbia, nor other states lawsuits against Lilly. Lilly has already settled about $1.3 billion in class action cases involving Zyprexa. (Source: Furious Seasons) Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1894955 Wed, 22 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1894955 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1856046&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F10%2Flilly_settles_zyprexa_claims_with_33_states_for_cheap.html News is just out via the New York Times that Lilly and a combine of 33 states--which were pondering suing the pharma giant over off-label marketing of Zyprexa--have settled those claims for $62 million. It's not clear to me if this settlement covers potential claims by the states involving Lilly's alleged hiding of injuries caused by the drug such as diabetes or whether it only covers off-label marketing. If it does cover both, then Lilly got off cheap. The Times' Alex Berenson reports that: "The agreement may also be a sign that a much larger deal is near in a separate but related civil and criminal investigation led by federal prosecutors in Philadelphia. In that case, Lilly is expected to pay more than $1 billion in fines and restitution to states and the federal government and may al... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1856046 Tue, 07 Oct 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1856046 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1768886&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F09%2Fjudge_orders_zyprexa_documents_unsealed.html About an hour ago I learned that District Court Judge Jack Weinstein had ordered that numerous confidential documents be unsealed in the class action lawsuit, settled in 2005, against Eli Lilly over accusations about its antipsychotic Zyprexa. It's not clear to me yet how many documents are being unsealed--more than the original set of documents that were leaked and have been sitting on this site since February 2007, or just the initial leaked set? Either way, the judge had this to say in his order, echoing something I wrote on this site 19 months ago: "A federal judge in Brooklyn decided on Friday to unseal confidential materials about Eli Lilly’s top-selling antipsychotic drug Zyprexa, citing 'the health of hundreds of thousands of people' and 'fundamental questions' about the way dr... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1768886 Fri, 05 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1768886 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1759896&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F09%2Feli_lilly_once_again_goes_after_alaska_lawyer_over_zyprexa_documents.html As I noted a few weeks ago, the Bloomberg wire service fought to get some documents unsealed in the Alaska v. Lilly lawsuit, settled earlier this year, over allegations that the company's antipsychotic Zyprexa had serious problems and that the company covered up the facts, among other allegations. One group of documents was unsealed and I wrote about them here. Meanwhile, Alaska lawyer Jim Gottstein has been fighting to get even more documents from the case unsealed. Gottstein is of course the lawyer who leaked an earlier set of Lilly Zyprexa documents, which were under court seal in a federal court case, to the New York Times and others. Lilly got a judge to sanction Gottstein and David Egilman, the initial leaker who settled with Lilly earlier for $100,000, but, so far, Gottstein has fo... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1759896 Thu, 04 Sep 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1759896 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1711750&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F08%2Fnewly_released_alaska_zyprexa_documents_add_more_detail_to_zyprexa_scandal.html Over the weekend, about 1,000 pages of documents recently unsealed by an Alaskan court--which had been overseeing the recent Alaska v. Lilly case up there--hit the Internet. The documents were unsealed because of the efforts of the Bloomberg wire service and have hit the Net thanks to the efforts of Psych Rights. I owe both parties a debt. I was able to skim about 200 pages of the documents on Saturday and my sense of things is that these documents simply add more layers of detail to what is already known about how Lilly tried to cover up problems with Zyprexa and how the company played fast-and-loose with off-label marketing rules, among other things. In other words, the original set of Zyprexa documents on this site have already established the main allegations against Lilly. If there ... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1711750 Mon, 18 Aug 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1711750 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1575429&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F07%2Fciting_excessive_claims_federal_judge_presses_lilly_to_settle_all_zyprexa_cases.html Of course this comes out right ahead of the holiday: US District Court Judge Jack Weinstein, who's been overseeing various class action lawsuits against Lilly over Zyprexa, today urged Lilly to settle all outstanding cases against it...worldwide. The company has already settled about $1.3 billion worth of cases. "In a draft order filed today in federal court in Brooklyn, N.Y., Weinstein said he found 'reliable information' that Lilly made excessive claims about Zyprexa's usefulness, and recommended off-label uses for such conditions as panic and anxiety disorder, agitation and dementia, Bloomberg said. Zyprexa is approved for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. "'A global settlement for the overpricing claims and any other claims is desirable,' Judge Weinstein wrote, according to Bloombe... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1575429 Thu, 03 Jul 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1575429 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1344172&cid=t_174625_87_f&fid=34595&url=http%3A%2F%2Fnhsblogdoc.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fso-doctor-youre-nurse.html It is good to get out occasionally.I know nothing of medicine in the Philippines. Never been there, though I would like to. Chronicles from the Middle of Nowhere is written by a young female physician in Manila.She has just presented a collection of medical writing under the general heading of “At a crossroads”.   Not surprisingly, perhaps, my attention was caught by the story of a doctor who has left his own country for a better paid job in the USA. Not as a doctor, though. He is retraining to be a nurse. The pay is better."So, Doctor, you're a nurse?" That is the monicker patients and hospital staff would jokingly call us. A few years ago, around 40 of us Dumaguete doctors enrolled in an abbreviated nursing course offered in a nearby province. Every Saturday at dawn we would pile ... NHS Blog Doctor blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1344172 Tue, 01 Apr 2008 22:05:00 +0100 1344172 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1329979&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_thoughts_on_alaska_settlement.html I know more than a few readers are disappointed in the $15 million settlement reached between Alaska and Lilly on Tuesday. Yes, the settlement was a bit of a surprise, especially this late in the game as the New York Times notes, but Lilly's pattern is to settle these cases. It's cheaper than a jury verdict and allows sales reps to continue to spread the good word about the company's drug. It also allows Lilly's lead attorney, Nina Gussack, to say things like: "The agreement included no admission of wrongdoing by Lilly, which is based in Indianapolis. "Nina Gussack, who headed the Lilly trial team, called the settlement a 'very positive resolution.' "'It certainly, in light of the state's initial views about what this case was valued at, represents an extraordinary resolution for Lilly,... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1329979 Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1329979 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1327498&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_two_answers_for_psychosis_one_great_story.html The New York Times' Alex Berenson, whom I hold in very high regard, stumbled onto an amazing real life paradox while in Alaska last week and turned it into a fascinating story. Brief summary: upstairs in the court house, Lilly was defending Zyprexa as good and safe and valuable for schizophrenics (the week before the drug had been declared unsafe and the company liable for all manner of problems according to the plaintiff's case) while downstairs a judge was conducting a commitment hearing for a man who seems to have been pretty much delusional and, ironically in the minds of many docs, an appropriate candidate for treatment with Zyprexa or a similar drug. But the judge was operating under the strictures of a fairly recent Alaska Supreme Court ruling (I wrote about this case 18 months ago.... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1327498 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1327498 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1327497&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_breaking_lilly_settles_with_alaska_for_15_million.html I am stunned to report that the Alaska v. Lilly trial settled yesterday for a mere $15 million. This move will be picked apart by many in the mental health and pharma worlds--and since I learned of it very early this morning, and after I'd been out for a few hours, I will refrain from comment for now. Except to note that the Zyprexa documents are that much more important than they were yesterday. More later today. (Source: Furious Seasons) Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1327497 Wed, 26 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1327497 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1325064&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_zyprexa_documents_hit_youtube.html A UCLA PhD candidate in History who's a reader of this site came upon a genius idea: making a video of himself reading one of the Zyprexa documents on YouTube. His name is Brad Fidler (website) and the document he chose (ZY100175096 4.1 MB .pdf) had details of a little role playing game Lilly wanted Zyprexa reps to play in order to increase their knowledge of the drug. The document is quite large, so please use my bandwidth sparingly, and is the primary "Viva Zyprexa" campaign roll out in 2000. The game is called "Family Feud" and is on page 61 of the 67 page document. Yes, the game sounds weird, but I recall from my own pharma company reppin' days that during sales training reps often acted out various roles--doctor, nurse, purchasing agent, etc.--with one another so we could sell our pr... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1325064 Tue, 25 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1325064 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1323159&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_judge_says_fda_cant_police_drug_safety.html There's been spotty coverage of the Alaska v. Lilly trial ever since Lilly began to mount its defense last week. That's apparently because Lilly's lawyers are taking the tactic of putting an expert on as a witness, who claims that there is no link between Zyprexa and diabetes, and then claiming it properly warned the FDA about any risks associated with the drug and that, thus, its butt was covered. In other words, a very simple argument that will play out over the next day or so before jurors hear closing arguments possibly as early as tomorrow. The trial judge isn't necessarily buying all of Lilly's arguments. "Without lawsuits like the one the State of Alaska brought against Lilly, claims that drugs cause health problems 'might well go unaddressed,' Anchorage Superior Court Judge Mark ... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1323159 Mon, 24 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1323159 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1314088&cid=t_174625_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2F19%2Fcant-reach-your-doctor-youre-not-alone%2F One of the most frustrating experiences of health and mental health treatment in the U.S. is the inability to actually talk to your doctor or therapist when you call them. Or to receive a timely callback. My wife has literally tried contacting one of her doctors for weeks without response. Now, while I understand doctors and therapists need to actually do work throughout the day and can’t always get to the phone, what about in the case of an emergency involving one of their patients? Tara Parker-Pope over at the New York Times health blog, Well, notes an article published in last months’ Annals of Internal Medicine that chronicles one doctor’s attempt to contact another doctor about one of their patients who had to be hospitalized. A doctor can’t reach another doc... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1314088 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 13:11:37 +0100 1314088 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1312374&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_2_billion_may_hinge_on_alaska_case.html The stakes could hardly be any higher for Eli Lilly as it defends itself against the State of Alaska's allegations that the company failed to warn doctors and patients about problems with its drug Zyprexa. According to Bloomberg, losing in Alaska could have huge implications for other outstanding lawsuits against the company and stalled negotiations with the feds and about 25 states. A loss in Alaska could set the stage for another $2 billion or so in payouts to states and the feds. "A defeat would weaken Indianapolis-based Lilly's position in nine other states' suits and separate consumer-protection investigations in about 30 states. The company resolved about 31,000 patients' claims for $1.2 billion. Total exposure in the rest may reach $2 billion, said David Stallard, a lawyer for Utah... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1312374 Wed, 19 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1312374 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1309057&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_lilly_opens_defense_today_1.html I hear through the grapevine that the State of Alaska wrapped up presenting its case against Eli Lilly yesterday over allegations of its handling of the drug Zyprexa. I'll have more on how the case wrapped as soon as I read some news accounts of the proceedings. The plaintiff's case has gone largely without fireworks: patients who took the drug developed diabetes, Lilly knew as early as 1998 that its drug could cause diabetes, the company didn't inform doctors of any differential risk of diabetes and other problems with its drug until 2007 (as opposed to the antipsychotic class wide warning in 2003/4), even though it had a duty to warn doctors and patients earlier. Accusations of off-label marketing were kicked out of the case by a judge pre-trial, likely due to the dubious federal preemp... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1309057 Tue, 18 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1309057 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1306534&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_alaska_jurors_hear_of_2002_japanese_label_changes.html I've paid attention before on this site to the fact of Japanese label changes concerning hyperglycemia and diabetes that the Japanese government imposed on Zyprexa in early 2002. On Thursday, jurors in the Alaska v. Lilly case heard from plaintiff's attorneys about how Zyprexa sales tanked by 75 percent in Japan after the warning. It hurt the company elsewhere: "'Market research shows we have also lost quite a bit of credibility with prescribers and opinion leaders, basically because they felt left in the dark with what they perceived as the late sharing of safety information,' two Lilly executives wrote that year in a memo to John Lechleiter, the company's chief operating officer and president." That's the same Lechleiter who apparently wanted to press Zyprexa on kids in 2003, according... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1306534 Mon, 17 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1306534 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1303269&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_incoming_lilly_ceo_allegedly_pushed_for_offlabel_marketing_of_zyprexa_for_kid.html Alex Berenson at the New York Times has a piece that just hit the paper's website detailing an email that was presented in the Alaska v. Lilly Zyprexa trial earlier this week. In the email, according to the Times, John Lechleiter, a then Lilly VP who's soon to become the company's CEO, did the following: "In the message, Dr. Lechleiter, who was then the company’s executive vice president for pharmaceutical products, noted to other Lilly officials that company representatives were already promoting Strattera, a second Lilly psychiatric drug, to pediatricians and child psychiatrists. The representatives could also discuss Zyprexa with such doctors, he said. "'The fact we are now talking to child psychs and peds and others about Strattera means that we must seize the opportunity to expand... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1303269 Fri, 14 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1303269 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1298712&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_lilly_fires_back_at_connecticut_ag.html I noted yesterday that the State of Connecticut had become the tenth state to sue Eli Lilly over various accusations surrounding the company's alleged handling of the drug Zyprexa and that the state AG's office had issued a nuclear weapon of a press release describing the lawsuit and some of the details of its accusations against Lilly. Some of those accusations included payoffs to state officials and bogus educational campaigns in addition to the usual round of illegal off-label marketing and downplaying of risks associated with the drug's use. You can more of those here. Yesterday, Lilly put out a press release attacking the AG's press release. Lilly must be pissed off because I have never before seen them issue a press release in response to a lawsuit being filed. I can also tell that ... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1298712 Thu, 13 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1298712 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1296071&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F03%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_connecticut_sues_lilly_over_zyprexa.html The state now becomes the tenth in a string of states suing the maker of Zyprexa. It's the usual set of allegations, as WSJ's Health Blog notes, and then there is some eye-popping detail: "Connecticut is looking to recover more than $190 million the state spent on Zyprexa over many years, on the grounds that Lilly illegally marked the drug for unapproved uses and concealed risks associated with the drug. "'The illegal marketing campaign exploited children and senior citizens — causing severe weight gain, diabetes and cardiovascular problems,' Blumenthal said in a statement. 'This scheme involved payments to public officials, bogus educational events and ghostwritten promotional articles summarizing suspect studies.'" The state AG's office put it a lot more aggressively in a press rele... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1296071 Wed, 12 Mar 2008 04:00:00 +0100 1296071 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1207353&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F02%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_lilly_has_even_more_pr_problems.html It's hard to believe that Lilly could look worse after settling about $1.3 billion in civil claims and being on the verge of working out a $1 billion deal with the feds in an attempt to escape federal prosecution and a raft of states lawsuits, but things just keep getting weirder and weirder around the Zyprexa story. Yesterday, news came out that last week's scoop by New York Times investigative reporter Alex Berenson on the developing federal settlement may have occurred not because the reporter has great sources but because he has the right last name. As it turns out, according to portfolio.com, a lawyer at Lilly's main outside law firm, Pepper Hamilton, tried to email Bradford Berenson, a lawyer at another of Lilly's outside law firms. Instead, the first lawyer somehow pulled up the re... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1207353 Wed, 06 Feb 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1207353 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1192843&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F02%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_shareholders_sue_lilly.html A new shareholder lawsuit has been filed against Eli Lilly over allegations involving the drug Zyprexa. Some shareholders are angry with the company because they contend that the lost money on their Lilly stock due to news reports of coverups of illegal marketing and injuries caused by the atypical anti-psychotic. What Lilly's spokesman Phil Belt told the AP is remarkable even by Lilly's standards of spin: "Beginning in late 2006, a series of articles in the Times, based on confidential documents, said Lilly downplayed the drug's risks and did off-label marketing. "'Those stories were full of inaccurate, incomplete and what we would say was misleading information,' Belt said. "Nevertheless, he said the company's board has appointed a committee to complete a 'thorough and importantly in... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1192843 Fri, 01 Feb 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1192843 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1190001&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2008%2F01%2Feli_lilly_to_settle_zyprexa_claims_with_feds_states_for_record_amount.html That's the word from the New York Times yesterday. To whit, that Lilly and the Department of Justice and Lilly and the many states preparing to sue the company are in settlement talks. A settlement with both groups would absolve Lilly of all civil actions by the feds and the states concerning a slew of accusations around the company's handling of its atypical anti-psychotic Zyprexa. The settlement could result in Lilly paying more than $1 billion to the feds and the states--which would be a record fine for illegal marketing--and apparently Lilly is under some time pressure to get a deal done. (A slighty different Times account appeared today.) A lawsuit brought by the State of Alaska against the company is slated for trial in March. With that outcome much in doubt, Lilly likely would pref... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1190001 Thu, 31 Jan 2008 05:00:00 +0100 1190001 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1097662&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2007%2F12%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_oneyear_anniversary.html Today is the one-year anniversary of Alex Berenson's New York Times article that made public internal Eli Lilly documents establishing that the company had told its sales force to downplay all manner of problems associated with Zyprexa. I remember seeing the article online the evening of Dec. 16 (it's datelined the 17th but was online earlier), and thinking to myself, "It's by Berenson and he's got documents. Wow." I linked to the article and, since I was headed out the door for the evening, offered this brief assessment: This is major news. More later. One year later, there is still more and more each day about this and other atypical anti-psychotics and how they have become big problems in our culture. Kind of stunning when you think about it. But here's something even more stunning: ... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1097662 Sun, 16 Dec 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1097662 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1061037&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2007%2F11%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_three_dozen_more_sue_lilly_over_diabetes.html Another thirty Zyprexa patients sued Eli Lilly this week: "The attorneys represent 30 plaintiffs from Illinois, Missouri, Indiana and New Jersey who claim Zyprexa negatively affected their blood sugar and endocrine system gradually over time and duration. The plaintiffs specifically allege they became diabetic after using Zyprexa, and seek damages for personal and economic injuries. "According to the complaint, plaintiffs did not possess sufficient information to cause them to inquire about their diabetes-related injuries associated with Zyprex until the drug's label changed on Oct. 6." I don't know much about these patients, but I have to wonder why their doctors wouldn't have informed them of diabetes-related issues with Zyprexa before the recent label change. Are doctors really that ... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1061037 Fri, 30 Nov 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1061037 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1010418&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2007%2F11%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_reports_of_zyprexa_killing_injuring_infants.html There was an alarming letter in this month's American Journal of Psychiatry, reporting on a child born with a clubfoot and a hole in its heart (the baby's gender is not specified). The case occurred in Israel and the doc's report reads, in part: ""Ms. A," a 25-year-old primigravida woman, had not received any prescribed medication other than olanzapine 10 mg daily. She had not been smoking, using drugs, or drinking alcohol during her pregnancy. There was no family history of birth defects; no viral infections occurred during pregnancy, and no work exposures were present. There was no consanguinity between her and the father of the baby. The baby was born with an atrioventricular canal defect and unilateral clubfoot. No additional phenotypic abnormalities were observed, and the karyotype w... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1010418 Wed, 07 Nov 2007 05:00:00 +0100 1010418 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=939777&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2007%2F10%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_whats_lilly_interested_in.html I've had a surge of interest--if interest is the word for it--in my writing from pharma companies and their lawyers recently. Not that they weren't around before. Yesterday, BMS came by looking for info on whistleblowers. Someone from Roche. And so on. What's intriguing is that someone at Lilly and, separately, someone at one of its outside law firms were on this site within minutes of each other and both of them were accessing the same Zyprexa document at roughly the same time. The document in question is this one. It is dated Jan. 15, 2004 and is a directive to the sales force entitled "Unsolicted Questions of Off-Label Information or Unapproved Products." In other words, it's a how-to guide for sales reps concerning how to handle a doctor or a nurse asking unprompted questions concern... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=939777 Wed, 10 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 939777 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=928785&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2007%2F10%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_interview_with_mother_of_zyprexa_victim.html The following is an interview with Ellen Liversidge, mother of Rob. He was a 39-year-old with bipolar disorder who died in 2002 after taking Zyprexa. Today is the fifth anniversary of his death. Tell us about your son. Rob grew up in Burlington, Vermont, Western Massachusetts, and Philadelphia. He was precocious, kind, and read at age 3. He became manic/psychotic at age twenty after going off to Cornell and having a hard time getting going every day. For the first three years, he was misdiagnosed as schizophrenic and took every possible "old" antipsychotic. He bounced in and out of the hospital like a rubber ball and was unable to accomplish much of anything. Finally, with his agreement, we found a very skilled psychiatrist who, in addition to diagnosing him correctly with manic depressi... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=928785 Fri, 05 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 928785 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=923718&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2007%2F10%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_whitewash.html As I mentioned the other day, I plan to roll out a few tidbits from the Zyprexa documents. Here's the first installment. In an internal "business planning purposes" document from Feb. 20, 2004, an unidentified Lilly official summarizes "competitive information" surrounding the American Diabetes Association's then-fresh guidelines on atypical antipsychotics, especially Zyprexa. The FDA's black box warning on diabetes and atypical antipsychotics is also mentioned. The unknown author cites John Newcomer as his or her source for much of the information in the document. Newcomer is a professor of psychiatry at Washington University in St. Louis, Mo. On page two of the document is the following unattributed quote, apparently from a medical doctor: "Lilly is playing a language game with the FD... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=923718 Wed, 03 Oct 2007 04:00:00 +0100 923718 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=914093&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2007%2F09%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_zyprexa_on_french_tv.html The French news program "Complement d'enquete" on the France 2 network had a piece on Zyprexa last week. The piece was mostly shot in the US. Because of a bad video feed, I haven't been able to assess what it says, but it includes an appearance by the mother of someone who died as a result of taking Zyprexa, the New York Times' Alex Berenson, and images of certain documents which the show may or may not have gotten from this site. The web link is here. If you click on the "Voir ou revoir cette émission en intégralité" link on that page, the show will come up in a streaming version. The Zyprexa portion of it is the final third of the program. Is there anyone out there who understands French who can watch it and tell me what's going on? (Source: Furious Seasons) Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=914093 Sat, 29 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 914093 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=907045&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2007%2F09%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_zyprexa_good_for_teens_packs_on_the_pounds_in_shortterm_trial.html Late last night, a study touting the use of Zyprexa in teens aged 13 to 17 years with bipolar disorder hit the web. It's published in the October issue of the American Journal of Psychiatry. The study was lead-authored by Mauricio Tohen, the Harvard psychiatry professor who simultaneously works for Eli Lilly. One of the other authors is Joe Biederman, a Harvard psych prof and one of the chief proponents of the bipolar child paradigm. Also listed is Janet Wozniak of Harvard. But here the study subjects are teens where the disorder faces little debate as to its existence. And here's the quick news: in a 3-week study of acutely manic or mixed state teens, Zyprexa outperformed placebo. It also made the teens gain an average of about eight pounds during that three weeks. By the numbers, 44.8 p... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=907045 Thu, 27 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 907045 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=883717&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2007%2F09%2Fworse_than_vioxx_zyprexa_risperdal_clozaril_and_paxil_killed_thousands_of_americans_1.html Last week, there was much media coverage of a large jump in adverse events reports and deaths due to the use--and, perhaps, misuse--or prescription drugs. Most of the coverage cited the general trend, noted how many thousands of deaths occurred among users of opiate painkillers, and moved along. I wrote about the study here, but at the time had not obtained the entire paper. I have rectified that situation. What the media failed to report is that Zyprexa, Risperdal, and Clozaril, three atypical antipsychotics, and Paxil, an SSRI anti-depressant, were tied to the deaths of 6,225 Americans from 1998 to 2005. These numbers are shocking and far outpace estimates I've run into previously. That this data was not reported by the media is inexcusable, given the millions of Americans--and others a... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=883717 Wed, 19 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 883717 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=880163&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=34843&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.furiousseasons.com%2Farchives%2F2007%2F09%2Fthe_zyprexa_chronicles_zyprexa_loses_market_share_1.html According to Decision Resources, a market tracking firm, Risperdal and Seroquel have overtaken Zyprexa as the go-to antipsychotics in treating schizophrenia. I mostly pass along this news on a for-what-it's-worth-to-ya basis. I also found this quote from the press release interesting: "'Zyprexa dominated the schizophrenia market just two years ago; however, recent focus on the drug's risk of weight gain and diabetes has changed physician perception of this agent,' said Sandra Chow, analyst at Decision Resources. 'With the launch of new formulations and line extensions over the next two years, such as AstraZeneca's Seroquel XR, Wyeth/Solvay Pharmaceutical's bifeprunox, Janssen's paliperidone depot, and Eli Lilly's olanzapine depot, as well as the expiration of Janssen's Risperdal patent pr... Furious Seasons blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=880163 Tue, 18 Sep 2007 04:00:00 +0100 880163 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=651304&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=35450&url=http%3A%2F%2Fofflabel.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F06%2Fundead-3.html Monday is D-day, dole day; the form for claiming my allowance comes every fortnight and I'm supposed to fill in the jobs I've applied for and take it down to the nearest Social Security office, which has recently started calling itself something even more euphemistic and making copious use of green and orange toner. Every Monday I have an appointment with my GP, a softly spoken Greek man whose office walls are a patchwork of kids’ paintings on butcher’s paper, pap smear reminders and black lungs. His practice bulk-bills and is just a few blocks from the hotel, which is one of two reasons why I go there. The other is that Alex knows, for the most part, how to mind his own business. Each fortnight he writes me a medical certificate saying that I’m too sick (“depressed” is the word ... Off-Label blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=651304 Sat, 02 Jun 2007 07:31:00 +0100 651304 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=638388&cid=t_174625_140_f&fid=35450&url=http%3A%2F%2Fofflabel.blogspot.com%2F2007%2F05%2Fundead-2.html I came to this hotel because it was the closest place on the list to the train station. Little more than a shopfront on the corner, it was dilapidated, verandah-less, a hole to crawl into. Instead of a sign, there was a blackboard: ROOMS TO RENT, LONG OR SHORT STAY, REASONABLE RATES, TV ROOM, and squashed in the lower margin as an afterthought: FRIENDLY ATMOSPHERE. The ground floor windows were boarded up. I pushed the front door open, nudging my suitcase in ahead of me. The front desk and its keeper were suitably retro; a sliding glass window and landing strip tie. A filing cabinet, a fan and a Thank You For Not Smoking sign that had gone yellow around the edges.Because the refuge I’d come from didn’t charge any rent, I had enough saved to put down straightaway and obviate any serious... Off-Label blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=638388 Sat, 26 May 2007 07:17:00 +0100 638388 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=553489&cid=t_174625_134_f&fid=35219&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.candiddiabetes.com%2Fcandid_diabetes%2F2007%2F04%2Fcgms_update_and.html I'm still here. (I actually almost cheesed out and wrote I'm still standing glarrrrg - suffer in misery with me if that song is stuck in your head now) Blogging, for the most part, has run it's course and peaked... (Source: Candid Diabetes) Candid Diabetes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=553489 Thu, 19 Apr 2007 00:45:08 +0100 553489 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=513936&cid=t_174625_134_f&fid=35219&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.candiddiabetes.com%2Fcandid_diabetes%2F2007%2F01%2F8_month_remarks.html February 2, 2007 will mark 8 months since I first began using the Paradigm RT system. I know that I've been woefully absent from this blog lately, and that I haven't talked about Minimed's TGMS as much as I've wanted... (Source: Candid Diabetes) Candid Diabetes blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=513936 Fri, 26 Jan 2007 04:00:14 +0100 513936