This Week, Pharma Bloggers Criticize Merck’s Vioxx Studies, Pfizer’s Third Breach of Confidential Data, and the Bush Administration

NEWTOWN, PA, September 7, 2007 – Ed Silverman at Pharmalot analyzes paperwork given to trial participants in Merck’s Vioxx studies to reveal some interesting omissions, Pfizer reports their third employee data breach since May, Congress has two very important legislative items to complete before the end of the month: the State Children’s Health Insurance and the Prescription Drug User Fee Act, and one man’s diagnosis with popcorn lung may reveal some weaknesses in our federal regulatory system. Christiane Truelove, editor of Med Ad News and R&D Directions, summarizes the thoughts of popular industry bloggers on these and other topics in this week’s PharmaBlogs: Week in Review eNewsletter.

Some of Ms. Truelove’s highlights in this eNewsletter:

• Early patient information sheets for Merck’s Vioxx trial did not refer to any cardiovascular risk. Ed Silverman of Pharmalot states, “For Merck, this omission may auger greater liability beyond the 27,000 or so product-liability lawsuits already filed in state and federal courts, because it raises questions about the extent to which the drugmaker was willing to acknowledge cardiovascular risks.”
• Connecticut Attorney General Richard Blumenthal has called for an investigation of Pfizer’s data leak, saying “This is part of a pattern that is unacceptable and which the company should find intolerable.”
• The New England Journal of Medicine criticizes President Bush’s threat to veto the State Children’s Health Insurance program.
• The doctor of the middle-aged man who developed a rare lung disease from microwaveable popcorn sent a letter to FDA warning the agency about the product’s hazard to consumers. David Michaels of the Pump Handle blog contends that the lack of reaction from FDA, CDC, OSHA, and EPA shows how eroded these agencies have become under the Bush administration.

Read more about these and other topics covered this week by subscribing to the PharmaBlogs: Week in Review eNewsletter. Visit www.pharmalive.com/enewsletters.

About PharmaBlogs: Week in Review

Designed as a time-effective approach to keeping current on the industry’s blog discussions, PharmaBlogs: Week in Review is the first online newsletter focused on recapping pharmaceutical blogs. The e-newsletter is published by industry information provider Engel Publishing Partners and sent to your e-mail inbox each Friday.

About Engel Publishing Partners

For 25 years, Engel Publishing Partners has been the source that pharmaceutical executives turn to for the information they need to create competitive business strategies. Engel Publishing Partners carries a full product line, offering industry-leading publications Med Ad News and R&D Directions, informative newsletters, and data-rich interactive products. Through these channels, Engel Publishing Partners disseminates original and un-biased content that provides insight into industry trends and events, as well as extensive analysis of companies, products, and pipelines.

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