ASTRAZENECA INVOLVED IN CORRUPT CLINICAL TRIAL

Thursday, 16th September

Dan Markingson, committed suicide after being forced to submit to clinical drug trials ordered and paid for by AstraZeneca. The University of Minnesota stood to make $237,000 from conducting this study. The study was spread out among 26 different institutions to compare the effectiveness of three drugs, Seroquel, Zyprexa and Risperdal. (AstraZeneca makes Seroquel.)

After his suicide, journalist investigated a strange and disgusting story behind the study and how it related to Markingson’s death. Along the way they found a totally ridicules mental health system in Minnesota, greed driven doctors, gross incompetence and a disregard for human life at the hands of a big corporation like AstraZeneca.

Dan Markingson, “subject 13” had a history of declining mental health problems. They were very serious and involved delusions he had to kill people including his mother. He was forced to agree to be part of this study at the University or be confined to a mental health facility. Even though it had already been determined by doctors that he was not capable for making such decisions they had him sign documents that he knew what he was doing.

This is all very mild summary of a detailed story investigated and written by journalist Jeremy Olson and Paul Tosto and published in the Pioneer Press. It is intriguing because of all the misdeeds they uncovered and unnerving on many fronts, especially the facts uncovered about how AstraZenecia designed the trials and why they conduct them and how the Universities and others profit from them. Even Dan’s doctor was paid partially by the $15,000 the University received from the study. How things turned out will shock and disgust you and make you think more about Drug companies and big Pharma. The story includes Dan's mother's failed attempts from to prevent the whole thing and who all ignored her.

Another good story that tells the struggles leading up to this by Dan and his mother can be found in the current issue of here:

Note: The FDA inspects only 1 percent of the thousands of U.S. clinical trial sites each year. This study was to prove Seroquel did not cause more weight gain than Zyprexa or Risperdal. Hidden in the final report were the list of attempted suicides and actual suicides that resulted from this study.

Taken from, Gather: http://news.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474978524117