U.S. Sen. Grassley Knocks Psychiatrist's Funding

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WSJ

Sen. Grassley Knocks Psychiatrist's Funding from AstraZeneca

April 7, 2008

by stein

A University of Cincinnati psychiatrist who was the lead author of a

2002 study that concluded kids did well on AstraZeneca's antipsychotic

Seroquel has received hundreds of thousands of dollars from the company

since then, according to Sen. Grassley (R-Iowa).

Grassley (pictured) raised the issue in a floor statement last week in

support of a bill he's co-sponsoring that would require drug and device

makers with annual revenues of more than $100 million to disclose to the

federal government on a quarterly basis anything of value given to

physicians, such as payments, gifts, or travel expenses.

" Today, I am going to report on the actions of one physician to explain

how industry payments to medical experts can affect medical practice, "

Grassley said by way of introducing his remarks. Grassley then reviewed

the funding for DelBello, who had reported to the University of

Cincinnati that she had received $100,000 from AstraZeneca in 2003, the

year after the study's publication in the Journal of the American

Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry. She reported another $80,000

in 2004. The payments covered lectures, consulting fees, service on

advisory boards and reimbursements for travel-related costs, Grassley

said.

DelBello, who also has received NIH grants, also reported $100,000 in

outside income between 2005 and 2007. But when Grassley asked

AstraZeneca directly, the total value of its payments to DelBello during

those three years came to $238,000.

" The fact that a physician can promote a drug to other doctors and

receive NIH funding, while hiding a very clear conflict of interest, is

disturbing, " Grassley concluded.

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USA TODAY

Anti-psychotics may speed Alzheimer's decline

By Kathleen Fackelmann

April 7, 2008

Anti-psychotic drugs frequently used in nursing homes to treat

aggression in Alzheimer's patients don't provide any benefit and seem to

lead to a marked decline in verbal ability, a report says.

The study, published in the April issue of the journal Public Library of

Science Medicine, adds to a long line of evidence suggesting such drugs

aren't safe in elderly patients and don't work very well when used

off-label.

The Food and Drug Administration warned doctors in 2005 that some

anti-psychotic drugs could increase the risk of death when given to

older patients in nursing homes.

Yet the drugs are widely prescribed. An estimated 30% to 60% of nursing

home patients in the USA are given the drugs, and many of the patients

have Alzheimer's, a progressive brain disease that sometimes leads to

aggressive behavior, says Ralph Nixon, a spokesman for the Alzheimer's

Association.

Doctors often prescribe these drugs because they act as sedatives for

difficult patients, says researcher Robin y, a geriatric

psychiatrist at the University of Oxford in England.

Often an underlying medical problem, such as an untreated urinary tract

infection, causes an Alzheimer's patient to behave aggressively, y

says.

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The Times

3,000 children were given unlicensed anti-psychotic drugs despite safety

fears

April 7, 2008

By Ben Quinn

The number of British children being given controversial anti-psychotic

drugs has increased sharply, according to research.

As many as 3,000 children were administered the unlicensed drugs between

1996 and 2005, despite concerns from experts that they could cause

long-term harm and even death.

Doctors gave out twice as many prescriptions for the medication in 2005

as in 1992, even though they are not licensed to be given to children.

The number of prescriptions for children in the 7 to 12 age group

trebled, the largest area of expansion, according to findings by Ian

Wong, a Professor of Paediatric Medicines Research at the London School

of Pharmacy.

In most cases, the drugs have been given to children with behavioural

and personality disorders, autism and hyperactivity.

The research is to be published in the US journal Pediatrics next month.

Healy, Professor of Psychological Medicine at Cardiff University

gave warning that the drugs could cause heart, circulatory and breathing

problems.

" There is a real question over whether the drugs can kill, for a number

of reasons, " he told The Guardian. " One is that all anti-psychotics act

on the \ dopamine. " Professor Healy said that dopamine was known to have

a role in cardiovascular regulation.

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