800000 killed by Big Bad Pharma - breaking story

Using fake research by a fraudster Big pharma reaped a 100 billion $$$ while sending 800000 to an early grave due to the use of statins.

This is equivalent to a war crime.Big pharma's apologists here will no doubt say the people had "underlying health issues"..a magic stock phrase used to defend big pharma crimes.

European doctors may have caused as many as 800,000 deaths in five years by following a guideline to use beta-blockers in non-cardiac surgery patients—a guideline based largely on discredited science
The discredited researcher, who was fired for scientific misconduct in 2011, was also the chairman of the committee that drafted the European treatment guidelines....

Read the full article yourself:-


articles.mercola.com... content=art1&utm_campaign=20140129Z1&et_cid=66915057&et_rid=412170084

reply to post by beckybecky


Each person was worth $125,000. This is what Big Pharma sees. Sickening.

And European standards are far different than American ones.

I've heard plenty of people cry that they get treatments in Europe that we aren't allowed to get in the US that are "perfectly safe" or else they wouldn't be allowed to have them in Europe.

Maybe this should be a wakeup call that EU standards of safety aren't better than US ones, just different. I know because my husband is in a position to deal with both sets of standards.

reply to post by ketsuko


EU standards. Ah ha ha ha.......

And just think, this is only one type of medication. How many more have died from all the others? Unfortunately this doesn't surprise me.
They don't really care about our health. They care about the all mighty dollar.

Just listen to the side effects in the medicine commercials. A lot of them even say "Death may occur"! Is that suppose to cover them?

why o why is this bloke who gave the false data not in jail for manslaughter at least genocide is a crime too remember the war in iraq and afganistan has only claimed 5000 lives to put it into perspective

reply to post by beckybecky


I was put in Beta blockers for hypertension a few years back, I am a healthy women that exercises 5 to 6 days a week in some way from Cardio to simple yoga, I have never been overweight.

Beta Blockers affect certain parts of the brain, I developed anxiety and depression for the first time in my life in the two short weeks I was on them, I actually started to think about dying every minute for days.

I took myself off the medication and one thing about Beta Blockers, you have to do it slowly and not just stop suddenly as it can cause sudden death.

Since that experience and the one with calcium channel blockers I am very picky about what I am taking, statins is one medication that I already told my doctor that big pharma can shove it up their big greedy greasy back side.

Statins once upon a time was a medication only prescribed to people that had hart episodes due to high cholesterol, because of the side effects it was for temporary use and no for healthy people with high cholesterol.

Is easy to read the history of statins in the net, now even with the sad true about complications they want to push this medication even on children.

A good friend's son passed away last weekend. Official cause of death? Prescription drug interaction caused his heart to stop. His doc didn't pay attention to what he was prescribing to him. So, yes, this type of pharma death tragedy happens every day. In this instance, it may have rested solely on his doctors shoulders,. Drug OD, none-the-less. He was 31.

If you need meds, do your absolute best to find natural alternatives. It may save your life!

reply to post by wrathofall


Sorry about the lost and somebody soo young, but even the pharmacy were you get your medications should keep track of them to make sure they do not interact, unless the person uses more than once place to get the drugs.

I always research on medications before I even attempt to take them and to tell the truth unless is something temporary and no long term I refuse to take anything, I do a lot of preventive care with alternatives, because the key is to prevent, no to wait when things are out of hand.

Beta blockers are naturally present in meats and eggs. These chemicals are good for us in moderate use, some people needing more than others. Chemistry used in certain cooking practices can cause these to fall apart and lead to issues that can cause a need for supplementation.

Beta blockers make good dumb down drugs. I know, I took them on and off for years, eventually having issues with remembering things so I would quit. I have now found why I was having the attacks that I was prescribed them for...with research. I know how to stop these problems....in me...for my particular situation...without a need for any drugs. I have found a way to stop the problem from happening, not a cure. It's just a dietary change. I did not do this easily though, I found out from trial and error using research to check what happened. It is important to note that these changes were not big changes, just little changes in the food I consume and the recipes to prepare them. I still screw up once in a while, mostly from going on a binge of eating at fast food restaurants.

Now meat is more than Beta blockers, it contains a lot of nutrients, some good and some bad. It is just figuring what you personally need that is important. There is similar chemistry to Beta blockers in some veggies. Choosing foods that mellow you is a trial and error thing and every dietary change needs other changes to balance it. Cravings can take care of this, pay attention to cravings. Stay away from chemistry that attracts you on a regular basis or your cravings get messed up. Lots of attractant chemistry is used in prepared foods.

Another thing that is important. We evolve during our lives. What you ate as a teenager may not be tolerated as an older person. Our bodies can process things better when the hormones are flying through our bodies. These hormones interfere with rational thinking a bit though so beware of eating too many things or taking supplements that boost hormones on a regular basis. Let the young be young and stupid, us old people are supposed to be wise. Sure, wisdom does rob us of the fun and excitement, mostly from making stupid mistakes or comments. But that is the way we are supposed to be as we age. I would never want to be young again.

I don't think Statins and Beta Blockers are the same though. Maybe Statins have Beta blocker properties though.

Great!? (facepalm slap) My doctor just put me on a statin medication even when I told her I was concerned about them. I told her I would read up more on them, now I have. I think I'll stop taking them now. Thanks for the post- you may just have saved my life!

rickymouse
Sure, wisdom does rob us of the fun and excitement, mostly from making stupid mistakes or comments. But that is the way we are supposed to be as we age. I would never want to be young again.

I don't think Statins and Beta Blockers are the same though. Maybe Statins have Beta blocker properties though.

edit on 29-1-2014 by rickymouse because: (no reason given)

That is some random wisdom - I like it. Interesting about the beta blockers, I just got prescribed some for anxiety.

Edit: made a Mistake, it is not a real Beta-Blocker!

reply to post by darkbake


Depending on diet and your personal metabolism, they may work. They interfere with certain processes though and when this is done, the body can slowly poison itself. The Beta blockers do not actually poison you, they replace something missing in your diet. If you change the way you eat, they may become a problem at that point. Sometimes medicines create a craving for something containing the medicine to neutralize the toxic effects of the lone constituant of the drug. You see, our body sees the chemical in the Beta blockers and it may stimulate enzymes for taking apart meats. These enzymes can be problematic and cause side effects or you just start craving more meats to balance it.

I've been on Topamax long-term for migraine control. It's a sodium channel drug. But I was on a beta-blocker for a time. These drugs are things you don't just go on and off, and you have to monitor what's happening to you while you're taking them. Every person is different, so every reaction is going to be different.

Understanding that these things are going to affect how your brain chemistry works is important. You need to be aware that they can affect your moods. I had a leg up because I was already taking them for migraine which is a brain chemistry issue, and you need to make your family, friends, SO, whatever aware that you may have mood issues and to be on the lookout for serious ones because you may not be aware. You also need to know that you often have to wean off these drugs, and you need to realize that you may not feel the full effects for up 6 months. You also need to know that it could take much longer for your body to settle out and really get used to the medication. So, if you have side effects, but it is helping you, you need to decide if the side effects are tolerable enough to plug on and see if they will settle out.

I only say this because I've been on a laundry list of different drugs until I found the one that works best for me. All of them have had their various impacts. Thankfully, I've had a wonderful neurologist who has been very informative and there every step of the way telling me every gritty detail of what could happen and how to watch for it.

He told me he had one client who reacted so badly to the Topamax that she got in her car one morning and realized that she could not remember how to drive ...

I did not have anything like that reaction to it or I wouldn't still be taking it ...

I think the real issue stems from a lack of understanding both from GPs and from the general public as to what they're getting into. How often do you research your medications? What they are, what they're supposed to do? You can't always trust your doctor or your pharmacist to know every detail of everything. There are so many drugs out there these days. Just a little research can go a long ways toward protecting everyone involved.

Just last year NPR was running a story about the push to drastically increase (general) statin prescriptions in the US.

I wonder why this was being pushed so heavily here in the US with this news now developing?

Statin drugs marketed in the United States include brand names such as Crestor, and generic versions of Lipitor and Zocor. They from $4 to $150 per month.

Oh looks like I found the answer right here . . .


Shift In Cholesterol Advice Could Double Statin Use
by Richard Knox
November 12, 2013 5:36 PM
www.npr.org...

After decades of cajoling Americans to know their cholesterol level and get it down as low as possible, the nation's leading heart specialists are changing course.

Cholesterol is still important. But new published Tuesday afternoon throw out the notion that a specific blood level should automatically trigger treatment with cholesterol-lowering drugs.

Also out the window is any notion of treating patients with drugs until their so-called hits a specific target – one that for most people is all but impossible to achieve by diet alone.

Instead, the new guidelines groups adults into four categories most likely to benefit from cholesterol-lowering drugs. They include people with heart disease and diabetes, as well as people with high levels of , the bad kind.

The guidelines also explicitly tell doctors not to bother with drugs other than , saying they're the only ones proven to reduce the risk of heart attacks and strokes.

Here is a link to the new guidelines for those interested;
circ.ahajournals.org...

-FBB

If big drug companies didn't exist, I wonder if people would make better/different choices or just die earlier.

• Eat a healthy diet focused on fresh, whole foods
• Consume healthy fat.
• Make clean, pure water your primary beverage
• Manage your stress.
• Exercise regularly.
• Get plenty of appropriate sun exposure
• Limit your exposure to toxins
• Get plenty of quality sleep.

My doctor doesn't "put me on" anything. He makes suggestions based on eduction (and big drug company marketing programs) in the form of prescriptions, which I can choose whether to fill.

Caveat Emptor.

EA006
reply to post by ketsuko

 

EU standards. Ah ha ha ha.......

Hahaha you say...?? take off your slippers and eye mufflers and travel around a little EA... I bet you have never even put one little toe in Europe?

Tell us a little about the medical standards in the country that you come from if you have enough courage!

Seriously... one liners like the one that you have posted are just down right embarrasing for the people who post on ATS... not to say that you come across as a fool in typing that!

I would like to suggest that you go back to the other site where people like you are more than welcome...

Rodinus

reply to post by beckybecky


The outcry here against big pharma doesn't seem to fit in this case?

The problem was an individual researcher- who didn't work for any particular pharmaceutical company- did bad work.
It also states:

The first indication that beta blockers should not be routinely given prior to non-cardiac surgery due to the increased risk of death came out in 2008,11 but it appears that even though cardiology guidelines were eventually changed in both the UK and the US to reflect this concern, physicians continued to prescribe the perioperative use of beta blockers anyway.

The doctors are at fault then.

At least this article has the integrity to state the fact that medicines that kill one person can save another- it all depends upon who it is given to.

There was a similar scandal here with a medicine for diabetes, which had negative effects over the long term for patients taking it that didn't have that condition. It was found to cause weight loss as a side effect, so doctors started prescribing it to patients for just that. Not only that, they would prescribe it along with things like diuretics, which made it bad for them (especially the heart).

The pharmaceutical company was blamed for this in the media, when it was exposed years after the medicine was discontinued by the company. Everyone likes to say it was the pharma company that told the doctors to prescribe it for this.

But my husband worked for that company, and he represented that drug. He woudl come home at night furious and ranting, explaining to me that doctors were doing this, and choosing to ignore his explanations to them on why they shouldn't. The company knew it wasn't good for people without diabetes. At one point a bonus check was awarded to the rep that could get their sales of that medicine down the most in their sector.

But the patients were insistent, it gave the docs lots of business and they ignored the warnings, so the company pulled it out.

When the scandal erupted, the company had no choice but to take the blame because the doctors are still their clients- it is not good business to tattle on your clients. You take the fall for them.

Luckily my husband stopped working for them and is no longer a pharmaceutical rep. But that experience made me aware of how much the media can put a spin on things in a way that will attract us and fool us- the liars and ones out to make an easy buck off us is not always the ones we see at first glance.

reply to post by Bluesma


Trust me. The media are snakes. I have my own media experiences from a family incident that are similar to yours. The media creates the story all the time to say what they want. I was training to be a journalist in college when that incident happened, and I just couldn't stomach it anymore and switched to something else.

I never watched a newscast the same way again.