Top Diabetes Doc Says Glaxo Threatened Him

[RamboLiberal]

Source: CBS News/AP

A medical expert prepared to tell lawmakers the British drug maker threatened him with legal action when he first raised questions about the treatment's safety.

Dr. John Buse was contacted by Glaxo in 1999 after drawing attention to a trend in heart problems among patients using Avandia, according to testimony he was prepared to give a House committee. Buse says Glaxo representatives mentioned that some in the company wanted to hold him accountable for hurting sales of the drug.

Buse, soon to become president of the American Diabetes Association, said he eventually signed a clarifying statement with the company that was used to ease concerns from investors.

Buse was scheduled to be part of a second panel at the Wednesday hearing of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Glaxo's head of research, Moncef Slaoui, and the head of the Food and Drug Administration will also testify.


Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2007/06/06/health/main2891518.shtml

[Lance_Boyle]

1. Hah! I used to review research for Dr. Buse at UNC.

He ran lots of Avandia studies. Glaxo apparently didn't like that he ran them honestly, and reported real results. Here's hoping he twists their knickers up real good.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

5. He ran studies?

From what I've been reading, this guy didn't run any studies at all. He just performed meta-analyses.

[Recursion]

6. That's a kind of study

A kind that's woefully lacking in the medical field; most disciplines have regular literature surveys and reviews but doctors seem to think it's not "real" research to do that.

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

7. It's a meta-study. Meta-research.

Meta-science.

[Recursion]

13. That attitude is why I'm glad I'm an engineer

But I'm an engineer in a biomed lab, so I've seen dozens of health researchers basically saying exactly what you're saying, and it drives me abso-frigging-lutely insane. It's science. Possibly the most important part of science is literature surveys; that's the only way to test for systematic biases, errors, and assumptions in your findings.

<snide>that's why the real sciences are so much more advanced than medical science -- they engage in literature review</snide>

[bushisdirt]

12. Oh, puhleeze, that guy is the biggest fraud in Diabetes. I take

Avandia. There is about 1/2 of 1% chance of getting a heart attack from taking Avandia. And it may be less than that. These studies were just a compilation of other studies WHERE MOST PATIENTS WERE TAKING MULTIPLE DRUGS.

[MannyGoldstein]

14. You Want To Take A Drug To Help You Die?

As far as I can tell, taking Avandia increases your risk of dying - the bad effects more than offset the good effects.

Unless I'm mistaken, you're better off not taking it. There are probably other things your endo can substitute, like Byetta.

[bushisdirt]

16. Don't take shots. Never will.....I stay between

5.5 and 6.0. Avandia works well for me. I quit my job to study diabetes 8 years ago and exercise. Few Type 2's belong on shots. Endocrinologists have destroyed more Type 2's by putting them on shots than the disease itself has. Ask your Opthamologist what will positively happen once you go on shots. Additonally, at worst Avandia may cause heart problems in less than 1/2 of 1% of people who take it. So I stop it, then go to 8.0--or take shots. Yeah, I really want to do that.

[Celebration]

32. Glad it works for you

I agree that insulin sure has its problems as well. I think the main problem here is that the slight additional risk of heart attacks was not noted in the warnings. At this point, it doesn't look like Avandia should be taken off the market, as it does work well in many respects. But there are tradeoffs, and patients should be aware of the very real risks when making drug choices.

And, GSK appears to be guilty of questionable tactics when trying to minimize, and not recognize these risks.

[barb162]

40. Tell me about the eyes. Wwhat happens if you go on shots?

Something to do with blood vessels?

[HiFructosePronSyrup]

19. Bill Frist? That you?

http://www.pharmalive.com/News/index.cfm?articleid=448964&categoryid=40

[yardwork]

41. Have you actually read his statements?

Or do you go around calling everyone "the biggest fraud" in their field based on the information contained in headlines?

[no_hypocrisy]

2. Bet Michael Moore wishes he could edit and add this on to "Sicko"

in time for the June 29 premiere.

[mzmolly]

3. This is not surprising, unfortunately.

But I thank you for the info.

[truedelphi]

4. Am I sure that I want to recommend this thread??

Yeah I'd spend the day recommending it if I could.

I have gotten so sick of the people who have a job with industy (I mean, Big Pharma) stating that this sort of thing just doesn't happen.
Happens Happens Happens Happens

The sun comes up - The sun goes down

Big Pharma Fudges Fudges Fudges and people are made sick and die.

[grace0418]

9. My dad died from a cholesterol med.

The doctors kept insisting that it was just a very strange case of Lou Gehrig's disease, even though it presented and progressed nothing like ALS. It *did* however present and progress very similarly to other people's mysterious neuro-muscular disorders that came about after taking the same cholesterol med my dad took. Hmmmmmmm.

He's gone now and there's nothing I can do about it. But it's made me very wary of taking prescription meds of any kind.

[Green Mountain Dem]

20. So sorry about your dad......

it nearly happened to me before I realized it was the med (Lipitor) that was destroying my muscles. My chol was fine but I couldn't walk to the end of the driveway! I am still recovering after stopping the med over a year ago.

[grace0418]

21. I'm glad you figured it out before it was too late. The drug my dad was on wasn't

even Lipitor (I can't remember at the moment, but I can look it up). So apparently more than one of these drugs are causing problems. And nobody says anything. My dad's cholesterol wasn't even that bad. He was very active and ate pretty well, it's unlikely his slightly raised cholesterol would've done much damage. So it's doubly sad that it was a cholesterol drug that did it to him.

[grace0418]

24. My dad was on Pravachol. He went from a healthy, active man who played tennis

every day to a guy who couldn't hold his head up in a very short amount of time. He was visiting my siblings in Washington state when his lungs just completely shut down and if he hadn't been at the doctor's office he would've died right there. He made a bit of a recovery but in the end I think he just lost his will to live if he couldn't be active.

Here are some testimonies my sister found on a message board for this drug. From what my sister says, all statins run the risk of destroying muscle cells. One, called Baycol (sp?), was taken off the market.

------------------------------------------------------

I think all of us on this message board has had these
symtoms. It usually starts with these symptoms and it
only gets worse, this is just the beginning. I got so
bad that they thought I had MS. I was not able to do
anything within 2 months of being on the pravachol.
After being on it 3 months I stopped taking it on my
own. I have been off of it since March and I am just
now getting back to normal. All though I don't think I
will ever get back to normal. By the way I was 48 at
the time.
------------------------------------------------------
I have been on cholesterol lowering drugs for years
now and the last two Baycol and pravachol have done me
in. I have been in constant pain from my back to my
hips dowm my legs into my arms I have never had such
Pain. I have aged very fast and feel like I have no
life left. Now I am having terrible pains in my chest
cavities and lungs/ I must get off of these drugs even
though I did have a heart attach last July. I cannot
describe enough how much pain I am in. I am now going
to a lung Doctor to see if he can find out about all
this added pain in my chest cavities and lung. I
relate it to Pravachol and am taking 80mg a day. A
person has to find an alternitive. I cannot take the
pain anymore and advise any one to get off this drug.
Ive been on this drug for 3 years and Baycol for
years. Well you all know about Baycol and how many
people it killed or disabled for life. I am one of
those people. Let me know if any of you out there have
been hit with chest cavitity pain and under your arms.
My hips and back along with my legs are damaged
forever. Good luck to every one.
----------------------------------------------------
Been on statins 2 yrs....off of them 3 wks. Along with
calf pain, with soreness to finger pressure, I have
thigh weakness and soreness as well as small muscle
twitches mostly on my calves for about six months as
well as some muscle twitches elsewhere....sides and
occasionally arms, also trace of tingly fingers. My
neurologist suspects statins. Any one else experience
muscle twitches that you can feel or see? Please post.
Andrew
------------------------------------------------------
I started 20mg of Pravachol and did ok but my count
didn't drop enough. Increased to 40mg and BAM! Rashes,
burning like discoloration under my eyes and sleep was
difficult in coming. No muscles aches yet but this
stuff is history. I look like I have measles!
------------------------------------------------------
This drug may cause PMR; this is a serious conditions
and most physicians are not aware of this. I know
because I am a physician and my wife developed
it.(Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) is a disorder
generally seen in people over age 50 that causes
stiffness and aching in the neck, shoulder and hip
areas. Other symptoms may include fatigue, weight
loss, low grade fever and depression. These symptoms
are due to an underlying inflammatory disorder.)
------------------------------------------------------

I've been on pravachol for 2 years until 3 weeks ago.
I have lost a lot of feeling in my feet and legs, they
are almost numb. They hurt all the time,really bad
pain. I had asked my doc about this over and over.
Tests were run, with nothing found to cause the pain.
My doctor did not take me off this medicine or warn me
that this could be the cause of my troubles. I changed
doctors and my new doc took me off pravachol. I could
tell a difference right away in that my numbness did
not get worse daily. I have not regained any feeling,
but its not getting worse. I believe this medicine has
poisoned my whole system. I wander if the damage is
permanent or if anyone knows what to do to help this.

------------------------------------------------------

[sendero]

26. All of the...

... "statin" class drugs have this problem and it is a lot more common than the pharmas woould have you believe.

[grace0418]

29. I'm learning that now. It's terrifying. To think my dad's doctors wouldn't even

explore that possibility even though we brought it up with them is so maddening.

[truedelphi]

30. Oh Grace I am so sorry to hear of your dad's ordeal

What a horrible way to lose someone you loved. And to have him become incrementally worse and worse.

People are scared away from the herbal section of the health food stores - but the prescribed meds are a lot more risky.

I knew nothing about the statins till people posted this in this discussion.

My hubbie just weaned himself off of Lyrica a drug he was taking to help with leg neuopathies from diabetes.

I will admit that the drug helped him for the first six months. He had not been diagnosed properly and all, so he probably did need something while he transitioned into the proper therapies.

But his motivation was going out the window. We finally connected his disinterst in things to the drug.

[grace0418]

33. Thanks truedelphi

I hope your husband recovers quickly.

[FlaGranny]

35. My husband was taking

Lipitor and was getting a lot of muscular symptoms. When his liver studies and his platelets started to get abnormal, I looked up his medications and told him to stop the drug immediately. He did and he is improving now. Several months later his symptoms are almost gone. His cholesterol had only been 220 when they started the drug.

You are right to be wary of medications. Do everything that is in your power to stay healthy. Be very aware of the medications you are given and their potential side effects and don't let doctors give you medication after medication that treat side effects of the ones you are already taking. It is a slippery slope.

The cholesterol levels they want to treat now used to be considered normal levels. Did the cholesterol suddenly become more dangerous? Or did the drug companies figure out a way to make more profit?

"Ask your doctor if Lipitor is right for you." Yeah, right. My doctor is very angry about these TV ads and so am I.

[grace0418]

38. I'm so glad your husband stopped taking it. My husband was diagnosed with

diabetes about a year ago. It scared me to death when they put him on three different meds, but he's adamant about following the doctor's orders. He got really mad at me when I suggested really researching the stuff he's on. My doctor wanted to put me on high blood pressure meds, even though my bp isn't that high, because of family history. I refused and lost 75 lbs. instead. Now she understands that I am willing to to whatever it takes to avoid going on long-term prescription meds.

[yardwork]

8. k&r This happens much too often

The profit motive that drives pharmaceutical companies is enormous. The difference between a successful drug that is widely prescribed and a drug that doesn't work out is in the billions of dollars. That's a lot of careers on the line. That's a lot of unhappy stockholders.

My mother was on hormone replacement therapy (HRT) for years. Just after she had a crippling stroke at the age of 63, studies finally began to be published noting that HRT's use had never been tested during clinical trials and it increased the risk of stroke.

[arikara]

10. K&R!

It is recommended that you don't take a prescription drug until its been on the market for at least 7 years. And even at that its still a risk.

I remember hearing a story about a woman who was prescribed some meds for a relatively minor condition. She started feeling worse, and her physician kept treating her symptoms with other prescriptions. She kept getting sicker. She eventually felt so terrible that she decided to kill herself by stopping all her prescriptions. Within a couple of months she completely recovered and never felt better.

Truth is, if a person develops strange symptoms any new prescriptions should always considered first as the cause. Unfortunately the side-effects and cumulative effects when mixed with other drugs usually isn't looked at and instead the trusty prescription pad is hauled out again to add another to the mix.

Here's a good site to check up on meds. There are some free articles and its worth the $15 subscription if you need good accurate info on pills.

http://www.worstpills.org/

[whistle]

11. My doctor took me off Avandia this week and he shared a story

...The drug company represenative came to his office last week with spcific instructions NOT TO Take any of his patients he had prescribed Avandia to off the medication until further studies had been completed. My doctor's response was "What, you want me to wait until my patients die from heart failure? No way! I am telling all my patients to immediately discontinue Avandia."

I've been using Avandia for nearly two years and I have experienced the side effects described, but until I saw the reports a few weeks back, nothing had been diclosed about possible heart failure. I am now taking another medication which my doctor provided samples of to see how effective it will be in controlling my diabetes. It's called Astor and I will begin taking it tomorrow.

[bmbmd]

25. The exact thing happened in my office.

I ran her off. (the rep, that is)

[MannyGoldstein]

15. Where The Fuck Was The FDA?

Look - drug companies acting like drug companies is not news. They have a pact with docs - we give you piles of money, you play ball.

But where the fuck was the FDA? They have thousands of employees, probably tens of thousands, and they're supposed to look for problems with drugs. A single cardiologist and statistician found this problem, but the ginormous FDA couldn't?

[bushisdirt]

17. They found NOTHING, which will be proven. Glaxo is now

in the midst of the largest study of an anti-diabetic ever taken.

[rucky]

28. Hyperlinks may help your case.

welcome to the DU

:hi:

[Megahurtz]

18. Big Pharma Runs Them

don't you know?

The Corporations own this Country, Big Pharma being being one of the biggest.

[reprobate]

22. The FDA is now a wholly owned subsidiary of Big Pharma. Thank George.

[Lorien]

37. And Monsanto. n/t

[Morgana LaFey]

27. the FDA is NOT your friend these days. Hasn't been for a good many

years now. Possibly back to the 60s, but certainly in the "greed is good" era we've been careening through.

There's a revolving door between the pharmaceuticals and the FDA personnel roster.

[Lorien]

36. Watch "sweet misery" and "the future of food" on DVD for your answer

both available from Netflix, and both REAL eye openers!

[reprobate]

23. May I suggest a simple means to assure Big Pharma testing is honest?

Simple fix. Just have all management be subjects in every drug trial.

[farmboxer]

31. Kevin Trudeau has been right!

Drugs for profit, human deaths do not matter, everyone is expendable, except the rich!

[LeftishBrit]

34. And he's taken the lesson to heart...

He has been a notorious fraud himself.

[truedelphi]

39. I Love Kevin Trudeau n/t