Pharma

FDA Evaluating Three Side Effects Reported With Weight Loss Drugs

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The FDA is formally looking into reports that some people who took popular diabetes and weight loss drugs had suicidal thoughts or two other health problems.

A new FDA report listed potential links between the medications and a hair loss condition called alopecia, a swallowing problem that can occur during surgery called aspiration, or suicidal ideation, CBS News reported. The investigation centers on reports of the health problems among people taking drugs known as GLP-1 receptor agonists, some of which are Ozempic, Wegovy, Mounjaro, and Zepbound. The drugs are used to treat diabetes and overweight or obesity.

An investigation by the FDA doesn’t mean that the FDA has concluded a risk exists, the FDA’s webpage for risk evaluation cautions.

“It means that FDA has identified a potential safety issue, but it does not mean that FDA has identified a causal relationship between the drug and the listed risk,” the FDA site states.

Possible next steps after an investigation could include updating drug labels with new information, putting a risk management plan in place to prevent or manage the health risks, or gathering more information.

“The FDA monitors the safety of drugs throughout their life cycle,” even after the drugs are approved. In addition, the FDA uses “surveillance and risk assessment programs to identify and evaluate adverse events that did not appear during the drug development process,” FDA spokesperson Chanapa Tantibanchachai said in an email published by multiple news outlets.

Although an investigation may lead to no changes in how a drug is regulated by the FDA, this isn’t the first time that the popular medicines have landed on the FDA’s radar for safety reevaluation. Last year, the label for the drug Ozempic was updated to acknowledge reports of intestinal obstructions, CBS News reported.

European regulators are also looking into reports of suicidal thoughts among people taking GLP-1 receptor agonists, although no link has been established.

Concerns about aspiration during surgery resulted in the American Society of Anesthesiologists advising in June that people should stop taking GLP-1 receptor agonists before they have elective surgeries.

“While there is currently a lack of scientific data on how GLP-1 receptor agonists affect patients having surgery and interact with anesthesia, we’ve received anecdotal reports that the delay in stomach emptying could be associated with an increased risk of regurgitation and aspiration of food into the airways and lungs during general anesthesia and deep sedation,” the society’s president, Michael W. Champeau, MD, said in a statement at the time.

According to CBS News, the FDA’s drug reporting system links the medications to 201 reports of suicide or suicidal ideation, 18 reports that mention aspiration, and 422 reports that mention alopecia.

Drugmaker Novo Nordisk, whose portfolio includes Wegovy and Ozempic, told CNN that it works with the FDA to monitor safety and is aware of the reports of side effects.

“Novo Nordisk stands behind the safety and efficacy of all of our GLP-1RA medicines when they are used as indicated and when they are taken under the care of a licensed healthcare professional,” the company said in a statement to CNN.

A spokesperson for Eli Lilly, which makes Mounjaro and Zepbound, told CBS News in a statement, “Currently, the FDA is reviewing data on certain potential risks for GLP-1 receptor agonist medicines. Patient safety is our priority, and we are collaborating with the FDA on these potential signals.”

SOURCES:

CBS News: “Possible Ozempic side effects including hair loss and suicidal thoughts probed by FDA.”

CNN: “FDA looking into reports of hair loss, suicidal thoughts in people using popular drugs for diabetes and weight loss.”

European Medicines Agency: “Meeting highlights from the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee (PRAC) 27-30 November 2023.”

American Society of Anesthesiologists: “Patients taking popular medications for diabetes and weight loss should stop before elective surgery, ASA suggests.”

Government Says Big Pharma Kills More People Than All Illegal Drugs Combined | CSGlobe

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Government Says Big Pharma Kills More People Than All Illegal Drugs Combined

A new study has shown that pharmaceutical drugs cause more overdoses and more deaths than all of the illegal drugs on the market combined. According to the government’s own statistics, listed on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) website, deaths relating to pharmaceutical drugs rose to roughly 23,000 last year, which accounts for over half of the total overdose deaths in the country for that time period.

Additionally, a recent study conducted by researchers with the University of Virginia, University of Arkansas, the Partnership for Drug Free Kids, and the American Institutes for Research reconfirmed the known dangers of pharmaceutical drug abuse.

The study concluded that, “Teens need help before they reach these tipping points for prescription drug abuse. Adults spotting teens with very high levels of anxiety and at least moderate use of other restricted substances should realize that these are students with a high likelihood of prescription abuse. Male teens with a high need to be popular and teens in generalappear to be at exceptional risk. Campaigns must target parents as well,since they clearly underestimate both the physical risks of prescription drugs and the likelihood that their children will abuse these drugs.”

Sadly, the authors of the study described any average teenager, however, it does give us some insight into the root causes of teenage drug abuse.

As the study noted, teens are being pushed towards drug use by the high-stress environment that is created by modern culture and government schools. Many times, these students are even prescribed a wide variety of these medications to help them cope with the stresses of teenage life, which means that doctors are essentially putting their stamp of approval on daily teenage use of amphetamines like Adderall or tranquilizers like Xanax.

A study by the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) highlighted this phenomena, pointing out that “Prescription drugs are seen as blessed by a trusted institution, the FDA, while increasingly aggressive advertising by drug companies simultaneously floods parents and children with messages that these substances are safe, popular, and beneficial.”

Is your doctor receiving Big Pharma payoffs? Here’s how to find out.

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Ever find yourself sitting at the doctor’s office, for eons, and notice those guys in the suits with the briefcases? They don’t look sick. They look busy and important. They are the pharmaceutical companies’ drug reps, come to stalk and bribe your doctor into prescribing you some toxic chemicals to suppress symptoms of imbalance and disease. It is a legalized money racket, and it’s gotten so powerful it has virtually made common sense in the medical industry extinct.

Doctor-Accept-Bribe-Money
Doctors work hard in med school. We see those dramas on network t.v. that show us just how much they go through, all the hours, tests, trials, and expense, the extra years of school. Almost all of them start out their careers deeply in debt. It costs around a quarter of a million dollars or more to become a doctor in the United States these days. This is how and why it started out being okay to be after the big bucks as a doctor. The Hippocratic Oath the doctors and other professionals of the health care industry take is so old and old-fashioned, many view it as more tradition or pomp and circumstance than a true binding ethical oath meant to guide and define their actions. It talks about “harming none” and swearing against “deadly medicine” and not “cutting for stone.” How could ANY doctor in today’s broken system uphold that oath? And, doctors are smart. They have to be to get through all that school. So it’s natural to defer to them when talking about your health challenges and what can be done to improve them. Unfortunately, this has fed a well publicized “God Complex” in many of today’s health care professionals. They don’t care to be questioned, or to explain themselves. Like lots of well-to-do politicians, the infallible doctors won’t tolerate clients who don’t realize how lucky they are to have received their attention, and they aren’t generally open to discussions on alternative treatments or second opinions.
Introducing Big Pharma

So that is where Big Pharma comes in – they size up the biggest doctor egos and flatter them into becoming mouthpieces for their companies and products, and accepting tokens of their gratitude in the form of everything from yachts to equipment for their clinics, to cash and other prizes. They are indoctrinated in medical school to believe in surgery and drug therapies as the only viable courses of treatment. Big Pharma ensures that is the case; they “donate to” and “support” universities, research, and training facilities so that tomorrow’s doctors are weaned on their wares. Furthermore, it is Big Pharma that goes after practitioners of alternative or holistic therapies, and they have to stage to convince the healthcare professionals that these therapies are ridiculous.

People die every day from the barbaric practices of modern medicine. From medical mistakes to radiation poisoning, from vaccine reactions to simple nutrient deficiency coupled with chemical overload, there is a case to be made that it is not the older, more traditional, tried and true forms of medicine, now called “alternative,” that are barbaric. They may not be fully understood, like love and God, but that doesn’t make it weird. So, sooner or later, many people come to their senses. Some of them are the patients, some of them are the doctors. They realize there’s got to be something else out there to help the suffering. And if it’s the doctor having a crisis of conscious, they find themselves in a sticky situation. Once you have become a cog in the wheel of the Big Pharma money machine, it is difficult to get out. If it’s the patient realizing they need to try something else, they often don’t know where to go to find out what. It would be useful to know if you can trust your doctor, or if they have a conflict of interest with your being truly healthy.

There’s nothing wrong with checking up on your doctor. You are the only one who benefits or suffers from your health. One way to check up on your doctor is to visit ProPublica‘s database of doctors that have received Big Pharma money for promotions. Visit: (http://projects.propublica.org)
and search for your doctor’s name. Another way would be to check with your state’s medical licensing body for complaints. If you really like your doctor, honor that relationship by giving him or her a chance to discuss your feelings and concerns, and desire to try something more natural. Many of them will be open to your ideas. If they aren’t, you have a clear conscious in hunting up a new doctor.

Sources for this article include:

http://projects.propublica.org

http://www.naturalnews.com/036417_Glaxo_Merck_fraud.html

http://www.naturalnews.com/036096_Big_Pharma_murder_fatalities.html

http://docmalerba.com/2012/01/an-occupy-movement-for-big-medicine/

http://www.naturalnews.com

 

Source: http://www.naturalnews.com