Another reason to question what your doctor and the FDA tell you about the safety and efficacy of any drug has now come to light. The Annals of Internal Medicine has just reported that Merck used the unsavory tactic of a “seeding trial” in its development of Vioxx. (This has…
The Bush Administration has consistently sought to undermine consumer-oriented regulatory practices in favor of corporate interests. If it could also take a shot at plaintiffs and their demon trial lawyers, all the better. One of its more spectacular successes was the Supreme Court’s recent decision in a medical devices case,…
At the Alaska Personal Injury Law Group, we commonly face the unpleasant task of explaining to prospective clients the way in which “tort reform” has dramatically taken away the legal rights they thought they possessed. One of the recent unsung accomplishments of the Bush Administration is the silent destruction of…
The Alaska Personal Injury Law Group has long been involved in the analysis of defective products sold by the diet supplement industry. Talbert v. E’ola Products, Inc. We have watched this industry repeatedly use unqualified personnel to design and sell products that are, in a word, dangerous. The industry has…
A federal jury today convicted the president of Berkeley Nutraceuticals, Steve Warshak, on charges of conspiracy to commit mail fraud, bank fraud, and money laundering. Warshak’s mother, Harriett Warshak, was also convicted. They now face more than 20 years in prison, and the company could be forced to forfeit tens…
Under the dubiously named Dietary Supplement Health and Education Act (DSHEA), diet supplements and herbal preparations are not approved by the Food and Drug Administration for medical use in humans. Thus, safety and formulation are solely the responsibility of the manufacturer; evidence of safety and efficacy is not required as…
Testimony offered in a federal trial in Ohio against Berkeley Nutriceuticals has disclosed that the company faked data regarding the effectiveness of its sexual enhancement product, Enzyte. When I previously wrote about this trial, https://www.alaskainjurylawblog.com/2008/01/dietary_supplement_company_fac.html, I fully expected to hear that such evidence had been uncovered. The diet supplement industry…
The coming issue of Clinical Cancer Research will publish two case reports concerning the progression of prostate cancer believed to have been caused by a dietary supplement “spiked” with pharmaceutical compounds. “Spiking” is, unfortunately, an all too common practice in that industry. While claiming to sell “all natural” products, and…
On January 17, 2008, the New England Journal of Medicine released a study that put numbers to what we already knew to be true: drug manufacturers have more data, particularly negative findings, that they are not making public. Examining the literature concerning antidepressants, the study showed that 94% of the…
The federal government has brought fraud charges against a dietary supplement company, Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, claiming the company bilked consumers out of $100 million using unauthorized credit card charges. Berkeley Nutraceuticals marketed a number of products it said would help in weight control, memory loss and clear skin, but its…