Eli Lilly and Co. has announced that it will now begin disclosing information about the money it pays to individual doctors for advice, speeches, and other services. The company is riding out ahead of legislators at the state and federal levels who have pushed disclosure bills that would impose a…
The Federal Trade Commission announced today 11 law enforcement actions taken against firms deceptively advertising bogus cancer cures. The companies have been charged with making unsupported claims that their products have treated or cured various cancers, and some were charged with falsely stating that they had clinical or scientific proof…
We have learned the lesson repeatedly, with drugs like Fen-Phen, Ephedra (see our litigation here), and similar magic pills, that there is no free lunch when it comes to weight loss. If drugs are being used to amp up the engine of the body’s metabolism, something is eventually going to…
According to a recent study presented at the British Pharmaceutical Conference in Manchester, England, 60% of woman may be risking the health of their babies by taking herbal remedies while pregnant. The study was authored by Lone Holst, a researcher in Norway, who studied 578 women giving birth in the…
The FDA has issued its first public disclosure of 20 drugs it is now investigating for safety concerns. The disclosure is the result of the 2007 Food and Drug Administration Amendments Act that mandated that the agency post on a quarterly basis information about drugs it is investigating based on…
U.S. District Court Judge Arthur Spiegel sentenced the remaining employees of Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals this week, each receiving prison sentences. The Berkeley executives, Greg Cossman (former President), Susan Cossman (Warshak’s sister), Shelly Kinmon (Sales Director), James Teegarden (Chief Operating Officer), Michael Wagner (Financial Officer), and Steven Pugh (Warehouse Manager) received…
Steve Warshak, the founder of Berkeley Premium Nutraceuticals, has been sentenced to 25 years in prison and ordered to pay $93,000 in fines. He had been convicted in February on 93 counts of conspiracy, fraud and money laundering. His mother, Harriet Warshak, was sentenced to 2 years in prison arising…
The Jounal of the American Medical Association reported today that the toxic metals lead, mercury, and arsenic have been detected in traditional Ayurvedic medicines being sold in the United States. Of the 230 products evaluated by x-ray spectroscopy, detectable levels of the toxic metals were found in 20.7% of the…
With increased attention being put on improper financial influences in medicine, by both the lay and professional press, you may be wondering how you can find out if your doctor is getting brown paper bags of cash from Big Pharma or a medical device manufacturer. The next time a doctor…
Three executives of Hi-Tech Pharmaceuticals, Inc. of Norcross, Georgia have pleaded guilty to conspiracy and fraud charges for illegally selling prescription drugs. President and CEO, Jared Wheat, Vice President, Stephen D. Smith, and company co-founder Tomasz Holda admitted to conspiring to import and distribute adulterated, mislabeled and unapproved new drugs,…