Mental Health Blogs

Yesterday, a letter to the editor appeared in the Chicago Tribune, penned by AZ’s chief spokesman Tony Jewell and critical of a recent article in the paper concerning the company’s antipsychotic Seroquel. The paper had written about AZ giving $490,000 to a Chicago psychiatrist who prescribed tons of Seroquel, plenty of it off-label, and also authored a study claiming patients lost weight on the drug. In part, it reads (via Soulful Sepulcher):

“Since first approved in 1997 for the treatment of schizophrenia, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Seroquel as safe and effective for three indications in bipolar disorder, as well as in a new formulation for additional treatments in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Today Seroquel and Seroquel XR are the only medicines approved as monotherapy by the FDA to treat both the acute depressive and manic episodes associated with bipolar disorder.

“The safety and efficacy of Seroquel has been evaluated in clinical trials with thousands of patients and AstraZeneca has shared all required data with the FDA, both before and after the agency approved it as safe and effective.

“AstraZeneca believes the totality of the science around Seroquel — including company-sponsored studies, research sponsored by the federal government and physician experience — confirms it is an effective and appropriate treatment choice for many patients who suffer from schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.”

OK, fine. But since Jewell is relying so much upon the FDA’s blessing of the drug to make his case to the public that Seroquel is safe and effective and that AZ plays by the rules, then I need to point out that last December the FDA busted AZ for off-label marketing of Seroquel for depression. To date, the agency has refused to answer any questions about its finding or to reveal what sanctions it might impose on the company. It’s almost one year later and high time the FDA did something.

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Related posts:

1. The Boston Globe Examines Seroquel’s Street Drug Status
2. AstraZeneca Defends Seroquel Weight Gain Warnings
3. AstraZeneca Can’t Exclude Diabetes Expert Witness From Seroquel Trials
4. AstraZeneca Denied Seroquel Diabetes Link After Warning Of It In Japan
5. NAMI Board Member Was Paid Consultant To AstraZeneca On Seroquel