Pharmaceutical Industry's Influence on Scientific Information Exposed

A joint hearing on Capitol Hill exposed the influence of the pharmaceutical industry on scientific information regarding antidepressant drugs prescribed to children. Lawmakers criticized the industry for controlling information about its products and the FDA for being passive in regulating these practices. The use of antidepressants in children is widespread, with millions taking Prozac-like drugs each year, despite none being approved for use in children by the FDA. Recent studies suggest these drugs may raise the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children.

Key Takeaways:

• The pharmaceutical industry has been accused of controlling scientific information about antidepressant drugs, creating a misleading picture for doctors and parents.
• Millions of American children take Prozac-like antidepressants each year, despite none being approved by the FDA for use in children.
• Studies suggest that these drugs may actually raise the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children.
• The FDA has been criticized for being passive in regulating the industry, failing to speak out when misleading studies are published.
• Lawmakers plan to introduce legislation requiring drugmakers to describe all clinical trials in a federal database before they begin.
• This move aims to prevent companies from hiding unfavorable results of their trials.

Statistics:

• Millions of American children take Prozac-like antidepressant drugs each year.
• None of these drugs has been approved by the FDA for use in children.
• Studies suggest that these drugs may raise the risk of suicidal thoughts and behavior in children by nearly doubling their risk.
• 2 individual studies on anti-depressants in children showed no efficacy.
• 1 study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association was based on data from 2 unsuccessful studies.

Sources:

• NPR's Snigdha Prakash reports on the joint hearing on Capitol Hill.
• Greg Walden, a Republican member of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee, questions Pfizer's Cathryn Clary.
• Congressman Henry Waxman, a California Democrat, asks the FDA's Janet Woodcock about its responsibility to the medical community.
• The Journal of the American Medical Association publishes a study based on data from 2 unsuccessful studies.