Popular Allergy Drug Under FDA Inspection
Singulair is a very popular medication prescribed for allergies; it is used with much success for both typical allergy reactions and in preventing asthma attacks. As such, it is a medication that both physicians and patients have been pleased to have available.
Unfortunately the old saying of when something seems too good to be true, it probably is, may also hold true with Singulair. There is a possible link between Singulair and suicide ideation as well as mood swings, anxiety and depression. Merck, the manufacturer of Singulair, points out that these are reactions received by report only and have not been observed in clinical testing.
”We have no indication that anything about the mechanism of Singulair is consistent with these events,” said George Philip, Director of Research and Product Development, Merck & Co, Inc. ”But because suicide is a life-threatening event we thought it was important to provide this information in the product label.”
Further information can be found at the link below. It is important that patients not discontinue Singulair suddenly without a physician’s guidance. Patients on Singulair who are concerned about these side effects should talk with their medical care provider as soon as possible.
FDA Early Communication Report on Singulair
FDA Investigates Merck Drug - Suicide Link
Could This Be Why Prescriptions Cost So Much?
Do you ever wonder, when you go to the pharmacy to pick up your prescriptions, why the bill is so high? The cost of prescriptions is absolutely shocking and so often people are forced to chose between groceries and medication. Something about that is just not right! And when you look at pharmaceutical companies, and how they spend their money, it becomes fairly easy to see where that high price tag is originating from.
In their analysis of data from two market research companies, IMS and CAM, Marc-André Gagnon and Joel Lexchin (York University, Toronto, Canada) found that US drug companies spent US$57.5 billion on promotional activities in 2004, the latest year for which figures were available. In comparison, the National Science Foundation reported that in 2004 the amount of industrial pharmaceutical research and development (including public funds for industrial research and development) was US$31.5 billion in the United States.
Medical News Today
That is close to twice as much! That is money that is going into advertising, promotional materials (those pens, calendars, and coffee cups at the doctor’s office come from those companies), drug reps who talk with physicians about medications, and other forms of marketing to increase sales.
One might wonder what they will have to promote when they run out of new medications because of the lack of research!
Healthcare is in crisis today; not just in the United States but globally. Prices of diagnoses, procedures, treatments, and medications are becoming a luxury item available only to the wealthy. The old saying of “The rich get richer and the poor get poorer,” may be amended to, “The well get healthier and the sick get sicker!”
Drug Industry Spends Nearly Twice As Much On Marketing Than On Research And Development