Researchers from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign found that adolescents exposed to amphetamines, including drugs prescribed treat attention disorders, for long periods of time, may develop memory problems as adults. Their findings could affect the prescribing of drugs like Ritalin.
Researchers found that when given to infant rats, the drugs caused behavioral abnormalities later in life. What’s more, the abnormalities were not limited to the drugs known to cause neuronal cell death. “That is of particular concern because some of the drugs may predispose to psychiatric disorders later in life,” says lead author Patrick Forcelli.
Grassley’s investigation shows the National Alliance on Mental Illness has received more than $28 million from pharmaceutical companies in the last four years. However, that number doesn’t include pharmaceutical contributions given to NAMI’s 50 state chapters or related foundations. Grassley is now demanding that information, according to documents obtained by Dow Jones Newswires. But more than conflict of interests are at stake.
Bipartisan legislation sponsored by Grassley to require drug, device and biologic manufacturers to report quarterly to the Department of Health and Human Services payments to physicians is part of the health care reform bill passed by the Senate Committee on Finance. The Physician Payments Sunshine Act, S.301, would establish the first-ever nationwide requirement for this information to be reported and made publicly available.
That suit alleges that Pfizer turned NAMI into a “Trojan Horse” to promote the antipsychotic drug Geodon for off-label use in children, according to the former pharmaceutical sales rep who filed it.
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