Winnipeg nurse's lawsuit against top drug companies claims they marketed decongestants that don't work
Winnipeg nurse's lawsuit against top drug companies claims they marketed decongestants that don't work
There should be criminal charges for this, but they never will cuz this was one of those wink-wink deals between government and pharmaceutical industry. I wanna know how and why phenylephrine was ever approved (how did they have the data previously if they are now declaring it ineffective?) Did the data ex post facto "change"? WTF?
Eh... I'd need to look into this specific one more, and it's a bit weirder than 'normal' given this is a drug for a common physiological symptom, but there was a lot of bad medical science done from roughly WWI to the turn of the millennium that nonetheless still underpins some of our commonly available medicines. Clinical psych has it especially bad, but the replication crisis is a problem everywhere.
Not like phenylephrine. It seems almost entirely a medico-political response to the methamphetamine issue. Which is not a valid justification for bad science and fraud on the part of the government and pharmaceutical industry. And (I mean this as politely as can be) we don't need you to look into it, its a fact and established that this was bullshit. No history necessary, it was bullshit and snake oil and the reason I always asked for the real Sudafed when I had congestion (which is a rather rare issue for me, not sure across the population).
But I also have the better shit as an actual chronic prescription so I can't credibly speak as much to this issue as those who use Suda more often for congestion.
Edit: does Adderall sort of cover the same benefit as pseudoephedrine in terms of congestion relief? I feel like that was one of its original (not sure about official) indications?
My understanding is that it is somewhat effective in nasal sprays, but not in any format that passes through the digestive system. When the US government wanted to tighten controls on pseudoephedrine as part of the War On (Some) Drugs, the pharmaceutical companies needed a substitute to push on the public, so they picked something that worked if you ignored the administration route. And then didn't confine the idiocy to the US.
(Pseudoephedrine is both an effective nasal decongestent and a chemical precursor of home-brewed methamphetamine.)
Ya, I believe that is what was at issue (nasal spray = good, oral = ineffective. At that
Sounds like it does work, but not really when taken orally.
So perhaps a nasal spray - or even some form of injection- might be effective whereas the pills they were marketing for this purpose were barely effective (due to it not actually reaching the sinuses in any significant amount)
I dont think its honestly an effective enough medication per se let alone when compared against the gold standard (pseudoephedrine) to ever extend my line of inquiry that far.
Why get complicated? Sudafed is easier and orally active so I would always just do that if my Adderall didn't do it already (not 100% on that conjecture)
- not sure if pseudoephedrine is actually the "gold standard" but if you ask anyone, that's what usually comes to mind
one of those wink-wink deals between government and pharmaceutical industry
I love these conspiracy claims; it's as if there's a secret meeting and completely hushed agreement held among people who can't even keep a land deal secret or decide that gay people are still people and keep it that way.
Eori, who has worked as a nurse for 33 years, purchased some of the drugs mentioned for herself and her family more than eight times per year under the impression that they would be sufficient to treat nasal congestion, the suit says.
What the hell?? Is it normal for people to be that congested that often?
I don't recall ever needing to buy decongestant for my family, ever.
For somebody with recurring allergies or some other chronic condition, yeah you can go through these a lot. You have to balance not taking them too often (which can make things worse) against potentially not being able to sleep properly at night
I'm not a doctor, but wouldn't someone with more than just a temporary need, get a prescription for something more long-term? Nasal decongestant is extremely effective.
Eight+ packs a year, assuming everyone in her family is using them, is still likely in excess of what's considered safe for long-term use. Many of those products are incredibly hard on the liver.
I doubt she was buying for the same person eight times a year—more likely for a half-dozen people once or twice a year, which might include her kids, parents, siblings, or other people who are part of her family but not of her household. One person getting two colds a year is certainly not impossible, especially if they're living with school-aged children, who tend to bring home a sample or two of every virus circulating in the region. Plus, some people are more susceptible to this stuff than others.
This is the best summary I could come up with:
A Winnipeg nurse is seeking class-action status for her lawsuit against several top drug companies, accusing them of profiting for decades by marketing non-prescription oral decongestant medications containing an active ingredient that several studies have found ineffective.
In September, a panel of 16 external advisers to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration voted unanimously that phenylephrine is ineffective as a decongestant when taken in pill form.
The FDA's expert advisers came to that conclusion after finding that only trace levels of the drug reach nasal passages to relieve congestion when taken orally.
"While the losses by individual consumers may be relatively modest, the scale of this case is large, given the popularity of the products and the amount of time that they were sold for," Sokolov said in a statement.
But the suit says through prominent claims displayed on packaging and public websites, the companies knowingly or recklessly led consumers, wholesalers, retailers and distributors to believe phenylephrine works as an oral decongestant.
Representatives from Pfizer and GlaxoSmithKline told CBC News that they have not sold the mentioned products since 2019, as both of their consumer health-care businesses demerged into Haleon.
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