After anecdotal reports that people who used the allergy drug Singulair may develop suicidal tendencies, the Food and Drug Administration announced March 27 that it would investigate. How big the problem might be depends on what network you watch.
Even though CBS's "The Early Show" and NBC's "Today" included statements from Merck (NYSE:MRK), the manufacturer of Singulair, analysis of the investigation was mixed.
On "The Early Show" CBS anchor Maggie Rodriguez stressed "disturbing" questions about the drug, and correspondent Kelly Wallace alleged information about new behavioral side effects were not easily accessible on Merck's Web site.
But NBC's Dr. Nancy Snyderman put the investigation into perspective on "Today," explaining the small number of cases where suicide and use of the drug coexisted.
"Let me caution, with 31 million prescriptions written we're talking about 3 or 4 cases of suicide reported to the FDA," Snyderman said.
She urged everyone taking prescription medication to be alert for any changes in their mood or other symptoms that arise when one begins a new medication.
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It Would Be Interesting...
March 28, 2008 - 18:05 ET by geoff.galeto know how much ad revenue each of the networks has collected from Merck for advertising this product. I wonder if there could be any correlation between the amount of ad revenue and the harshness of the reporting.
Not sure I would have even
March 28, 2008 - 19:01 ET by jcrapes4Not sure I would have even written a story about 3 or 4 people out of 31 million committing suicide. I wonder if the people had any other preexitisting conditions that also might have lead to suicide
Another thought
March 28, 2008 - 19:05 ET by EvilCon555Consider this - and please know I do not mean to belittle the sorrow that suicide brings, it is a terrible and tragic result of an illness no less serious than cancer or AIDS -
How many people who have eaten a carrot have commited suicide?
How many people who have a used Toyota Camry have committed suicide?
How many people who drink Starbucks once a week or more have committed suicide?
How many people who watch CBS news every night have committed suicide?
Do you see where I am going with this? Any simple association of behavior (taking a drug) with a result (committing suicide) can be made into a media/medical circus. Three or four results out of millions makes the risk over benefit low. It makes me wonder what the modus operandi really is...
Clearly a lawyer or commercial rival has taken it upon himself/theirselves to practice medicine and correlate the Singulair/Suicide risk. Not a doctor. And Merck, having been bitten once by the Vioxx/Celebrex debacle (which has prevented scores of people the benefit of a decent and safe drug) is running scared...shame on them.
Like an abortion, the use of a legal drug is between you and your doctor...
"All great change in America begins at the dinner table" Ronald Reagan, Jan 21, 1981
One horrbile step further..forgive me
March 28, 2008 - 19:11 ET by EvilCon555How many people who vote Democrat....I can't even say it....but you know where I am going...
Ban Liberalism - Prevent Suicide.
"All great change in America begins at the dinner table" Ronald Reagan, Jan 21, 1981
No wonder Networks are
March 28, 2008 - 20:25 ET by BenderNo wonder Networks are conflicted about reporting anything negative about dangerous drugs, drug manufacturers are one of the largest ad sponsors. The networks would be cutting their own throats in reporting the truth.
The news report I really would like to see, "NBC Nightly News - How much money we really raked in by promoting Singulair to the sheep of America"
That bias is certainly the case, as I've repeatedly shown...
March 29, 2008 - 08:01 ET by sarcasmoWhen it comes to campus shootings and antidepressant drugs of various sorts. Although I tend to blame it all on the 4-hour boner drugs for effect, I'm sure ad revenue for allergy drugs like this one also paid for some of the obvious news coverage bias I've outlined here on NB. The media repeatedly gave us all sorts of stats (calibers, brands, dealers, etc.) about the firearm side of every campus shooting with 0 about the dosage, the doc, or the drug(s) used by the perp. That kind of bias costs money.
JMR
A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.
apples and oranges
March 29, 2008 - 10:03 ET by candanceI don't think you can compare firearm research to drug use research. First of all, the firearm debate is rooted in the second amendment. Secondly, drug use research is limited because of HIPAA and much more complex than firearm stats.
My time spent working in the healthcare industry showed me a lot about drug use the media doesn't report. A lot of people who go crazy on medication tend to overdose, or be underdosed and not talk to their doctor, or mix a couple different drugs together, etc. The drug in itself is usually not the culprit.
My comparison isn't about research.
March 29, 2008 - 10:15 ET by sarcasmoIt's media coverage, or the lack thereof in the case of drug, doctor, and dosage. I always know calibers, brands, and gunshop-locations by the end of day-1. I never know crap about these "antidepressant" meds except that for some reason I'm always able to predict that the shooter's gonna be taking them. I see all sorts of ads -- and not just for boner-drugs -- on my TV. When I see this kind of coverage-bias on that same TV, I think big pharma's buying more than just ad-time when they pay for 'em. I am not blaming the drug, but I am pointing out an obvious instance of media bias I've repeatedly-busted right here.
JMR
A corruption-story the TV media will-not cover.
with 31 million
March 28, 2008 - 22:05 ET by Jack BauerThe lastest stats I can find for 2005 show 32,637 suicides with a national suicide rate at 11.1 per 100,000 of the population.
So, let's not jump off a cliff reaching erroneous conclusions here.
One little factoid I picked up here yahooing US suicide rates -- the first ten were all links to a supposed rise in MILITARY suicides. Mmmm, that's weird.
Here's the odd thing -- this "rise" to 17 per 100,000 matches exactly the higher rate of suicides amongst YOUNG MEN -- which is , of course, exactly the demo which serves in combat in the U.S. Military.
In case you wondered which group has the LOWEST suicide rates? Black women. 1.3 per 100,000.
health care costs
March 28, 2008 - 23:29 ET by candanceEvery person in America who has ever taken Singulair is being tracked down by a lawyer to stage a multi-million dollar lawsuit against Merk.
Merk will settle it quietly and out of court, the lawyers will take a third of the money, and Merk will jack up the prices of their dependable drugs to pay for the settlement.
RU-486
March 29, 2008 - 12:20 ET by Joe C.Still waiting for the investigation and lawsuits over all the people who hav died with RU-486 (http://www.iht.com/a...).