Summary
The British Medical Journal retracted a story that it had printed on January 1 stating that Eli Lilly documents concerning suicide and Prozac had been missing for more than a decade. The journal found upon investigation that the documents had been properly handled, and it apologized to the pharmaceutical firm.
Original source:
http://www.forbes.com/lifestyle/health/feeds/hscout/2005/01/27/hscout523176.html
Details
The British Medical Journal has apologized to Eli Lilly & Co. for claiming in a Jan. 1 report that Lilly documents outlining a heightened risk of suicide use among Prozac users were missing for a decade.
The Associated Press quotes the journal's statement: "The BMJ accepts that Eli Lilly acted properly in relation to the disclosure of these documents in these claims.
The BMJ is happy to set the record straight and to apologize to Eli Lilly for this statement, which we now retract, but which we published in good faith."
The original BMJ report said editors had given U.S. regulators internal company documents it had received from an anonymous source, indicating Lilly officials were aware in the 1980s that the antidepressant could have potentially troubling side effects, and that those documents vanished during a 1994 lawsuit against Lilly.
But AP reported that, on Jan. 4, 2005, Eli Lilly officials maintained the company had given those records to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) more than a decade ago, and the documents had not gone missing during the court case.
After further investigation, the journal said it had determined that Lilly had indeed disclosed the documents during the lawsuit, according to the AP.
However, the journal added that whether the FDA had been given the documents is still being investigated.
The papers have been turned over to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
Amid the pile of internal reviews and memos, according to the journal, is a document dated November 1988 that reports
Prozac (fluoxetine) had caused behavioral problems, including agitation and panic attacks, in clinical trials.
Smulevitz said he had requested the documents from Jeanne Lenzer, a Kingston, N.Y.-based
medical investigative journalist who received them and then sent them on to the BMJ and the FDA.
About the author: Mike Adams is a consumer health advocate and award-winning journalist with a mission to teach personal and planetary health to the public He is a prolific writer and has published thousands of articles, interviews, reports and consumer guides, and he is well known as the creator of popular downloadable preparedness programs on financial collapse, emergency food storage, wilderness survival and home defense skills. Adams is a trusted, independent journalist who receives no money or promotional fees whatsoever to write about other companies' products. In 2010, Adams launched TV.NaturalNews.com, a natural health video site featuring videos on holistic health and green living. He's also the CEO of a highly successful email newsletter software company that develops software used to send permission email campaigns to subscribers. Adams volunteers his time to serve as the executive director of the Consumer Wellness Center, a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, and enjoys outdoor activities, nature photography, Pilates and martial arts training. Known as the 'Health Ranger,' Adams' personal health statistics and mission statements are located at www.HealthRanger.org
Have comments on this article? Post them here:
people have commented on this article.
Thursday, February 03, 2005
Email this article to a friend
Share
this article on: 
