Furious Seasons

February 19, 2007

Up To Speed On Possible Off-Label Marketing Of Zyprexa, The Blakemore-Brown Case, What A Doc Thinks Of The Bipolar Child Paradigm And Newsweek

CL Psych yesterday posted an excellent item on how Lilly in 2001 appears to have engaged in suspicious marketing tactics for Zyprexa in illnesses other than schizophrenia and acute mania, for which it had indications at the time. It's great stuff. Go read it. I will be posting something of my own on Zyprexa in a few hours because, like Lilly's legal team at Pepper Hamilton, I work all-hours. Unlike Lilly's legal team, I do not bill at $400 an hour.

Lots of readers are checking out the transcript of the bizarre case of Lisa Blakemore-Brown and the British Psychological Service. The latter is trying to hound Blakemore-Brown out of business because she was insane enough to engage in skepticism and academic freedom. Word has it that the BPS is none too happy that I am hosting the transcript. Bummer, dude.

A lot of bloggers are writing about this case in England, so read about it here and here.

Maria, a psychiatric resident in the Seattle area who authors Intueri, has written a splendid post on the whole Bipolar Child nonsense and debate that is racing through the media and psychiatry. I am glad to see she finds the bipolar kiddos thing to be as dubious as I do and that, like me, she thinks it may well be making psych docs look like fools in the eyes of the public.

In addition, Newsweek's cover story this week is on men and depression. It's a very important subject, but since a newsweekly is tackling it I expect the article to be a big gloss (haven't had a chance to read it yet). I wonder if they'll go into how just how poorly anti-depressants--and by that I mean the SSRIs mostly--have performed in clinical trials and in long-term independent studies in the years since the same magazine lionized Prozac on its cover in 1990. To me, that's as big a problem as depression itself. We are working with weak technology people.

I wonder, too, if Lilly won't now churn out a variation on its "Depression Hurts" commercial just for men. Maybe they can get Walt "Clyde" Frazier and Keith Hernandez to star in it.

Posted by Philip Dawdy at February 19, 2007 12:01 AM

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Comments

Regarding depression in men and off label use of medications;

1. Viagra is used for (off-label use), as an aphrodisiac and when used in combo with ecstasy, is known as 'sextasy'.

Viagra also can be used in a water solution that will increase the life of cut flowers.(how handy!)

2. Considering Zoloft sales have decreased, and men are more depressed,( and face it most men won't see a therapist, and do get depression meds from general docs)

3. Makes me wonder if Pfizer might come out with a dynamic duo: (a new med combo)-- (you know like how Prozac and Zyprexa is now available as Symbyax)using Viagra and Zoloft, Pfizer could beat Lilly's ass in a sales campaign for depressed men.

4.Being that sexual side effects are common with use of SSRI's it just makes sense doesn't it?(marketing-wise imagine the sales$$)

5. I suspect the depression rate in men is higher than we all imagine.

Posted by: Stephany at February 19, 2007 09:11 AM

It's a glossy print article.(I read it online).

It does talk about SSRI's and how many men give them up due to sexual side effects.

Though the article doesn't talk in depth at all re: SSRI's efficacy, or long-term side effects as a result of using SSRI's (such as permanent sexual dysfunction).

There's a lot more out on the internet than in that article in Newsweek. Though I'm glad to see a cover story on the topic, I don't think it offered too much information, other than to let men know they are not alone in depression.(which is important).

It's a glossy cover that reminds me of the TIME issue about Bipolar Kids. When that magazine cover came out, all of my relatives bought it and used as "knowledge" on "what's wrong with (my daughter)?"

I imagine many a girlfriend,wife, or mother may be picking up this Newsweek issue more than men.

Posted by: Stephany at February 19, 2007 09:59 AM

Thank you kindly for the link. I appreciate it. :)

Posted by: Maria at February 19, 2007 11:03 AM

from the Newsweek artice"

"Researchers at the NIMH are also experimenting with the idea of fast-
acting antidepressants that would relieve symptoms in a few hours
instead of the eight weeks or more needed for most antidepressants to
take effect. In clinical trials, scientists found that a single, IV-
administered dose of ketamine, an animal tranquilizer, reduced the
symptoms of depression in just two to three hours and had long-
lasting effects. Because of its hallucinogenic side effects, ketamine
can never be used out of controlled environments. But the success of
the trial is giving scientists new ideas about drugs and methods of
administering them."

The use of a hallucinogenic for depression. Is anyone else disturbed by this?

Posted by: Gianna at February 22, 2007 04:40 AM