LooseKannon.com » Health Care

Abbott (and Costello) Labs

Dr. John — Tue, 08 May 2012 13:22:52 +0000

Why is Abbott Labs, the monster pharmaceutical company, not being charged with crimes against humanity for mis-labeling Depakote? I’ll try to cut through the technical stuff and make my point.

Depakote is a medication that has proven effective for seizure and also as a kind of leveling agent for the manic phase of Bipolar Depression. However, Abbott admitted that from 1998 through 2006, it “maintained a specialized sales force trained to market Depakote in nursing homes for the control of agitation and aggression in elderly dementia patients, despite the absence of credible scientific evidence that Depakote was safe and effective for that use.” They also trained its sales force to promote the drug to health care providers and employees of nursing homes as better than anti psychotic drugs for controlling agitation and aggression in elderly dementia patients, and then went further and promoted the drug as a treatment for schizophrenia.

Though the company paid for two studies of the use of Depakote to treat schizophrenia, neither met the goals established for the study.
“When the second study failed to show proof of their claims, Abbott waited nearly two years to notify its own sales force about the study results and another two years to publish those results”.

During that time, the company continued to promote the drug for the treatment of schizophrenia. Obviously, it didn’t work, and although no deaths were reported, there were cases of anorexia and dehydration and other side effects.

And what happened to these crooks? Fines. Big ones, but to a company with Abbott’s assets, the fines amount to couch change. Plus, they are allowed to continue to sell their drugs through government programs! They targeted the weak and the helpless. Nursing homes. Elderly people, already vulnerable and unable to make clear decisions about their care, got fed junk meds. And even the sharpest doctors rode along, cause it is the drug representative’s job to not only sell the stuff, but to present an honest and accurate picture of their product.

Since no one is going to do jail time, I suggest that the CEO, COO, and the whole top level crew of Abbott be canned. That is the least that should happen, because we put our trust in these companies, and they , by putting profits ahead of patients, throw that trust back in our faces, risking the health of our loved ones.

3’s Not the Charm-Afghan Atrocity Redux

LK — Mon, 12 Mar 2012 12:36:22 +0000

I wrote the below a couple of months ago after the American troops urinated on the Afghan bodies. I might as well have run it after the snipers posed by the SS insignia as well.

In this case, we’ve clearly got a very troubled poor soul who didn’t wait for the “Post” part before directing, in the most tragic of ways, his Post Traumatic Stress Syndrome on other poor innocent souls.

In this case, 3’s definitely not the charm:

This is cold, politically way incorrect, and what I believe to be true:

If you take our armed forces, which are made up, to a shamefully disproportionate degree, of poorly educated service men and women who come from the lower economic rungs of our society, and put them in a living hell on a regular basis, they’re not going to extrapolate as to the geopolitical ramifications of pissing on guys who 5 minutes ago were trying to kill them and/or their buddies, and may well have succeeded to some degree.

They forgot their sensitivity training because it wasn’t nearly as convincing or intensive as the indoctrination they received to defend and attack, which reinforced, then ultimately distorted their primal instincts for self-preservation. The utterly foul Petri dish that Bush and Cheney dropped them into, and Obama and Clinton did nothing to extricate them from, was and remains a breeding ground for vile acts that human beings have committed on a regular basis throughout history.

If you want justice, punish the puppeteers, not the puppets.

LK’s “AM 970 The Apple” PodKast-The 3/5/12 Show

Editor — Mon, 05 Mar 2012 16:31:35 +0000

Before getting started, LK wants to thank you for putting the show in or near the top 10 shows nation-wide for its entire duration on TalkStreamLive.com this morning. It’s much appreciated.

On today’s show, LK:

De-mystifies the Greek debt debacle and makes it clear that the Credit Default Swap mess that threatens to bring down Europe and played a big part in bringing down Lehman Brothers is nothing but a bunch of bookies/bankers who can’t pay off winning bets. For once, it’s the bookies/bankers who need their knees broken.

Points out that the Chinese are cleaning our clocks in a way that’s eerily similar to how we brought down the Soviet Union in the ’80’s.

Suggests that no one give up a job they hate in search of greener pastures just yet (don’t stop looking, just don’t give up the bird in the hand), because it’s a misconception to believe that the better economic numbers mean that the coast is clear.

Chastises the NFL players, disses Santorum (like shooting fish in a barrel of contraceptives), takes 30 seconds instead of the 2 full shows it takes other hosts to reconcile the rush from Rush, and declares the Republican quest for the nomination close to a done deal for Romney now that Ted Nugent’s endorsed him. Cat Scratch Fever, Mitt’s new campaign theme song.

Talks with Dr. John Palumbo about the folly of Afghanistan and the pursuit of inner peace.

Have a ball.

Hour 1:

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Hour 2:

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LK’s “AM 970 The Apple” PodKast-The 2/27/12 Show

LK — Wed, 29 Feb 2012 12:59:07 +0000

Sleight of hand (and mind) distractions abound as the Oscars and the NBA All Star Game attempt to sedate LK and his audience, but they weren’t falling for it:

Rick Santorum wanting to “throw up” made LK want to throw up (and the Rickster got his just desserts last night in AZ and MI).

Johnson & Johnson and Google are both members in good standing of the evil empire of sovereign corporations.

The Mad Max movies continue to be the blueprint for the slow but steady breakdown of society as we know it.

Obama apologizes and the Afghans riot in a further display of his impotency and their irrationality.

All presented with as much good cheer and resilience as a realist can muster.

Enjoy.

Hour 1:

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Hour 2:

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LK’s “AM 970 The Apple” PodKast-The 11/14/11 Show

LK — Mon, 14 Nov 2011 19:22:17 +0000

There’s a fine line between vigilance and paranoia, and LK’s walking it.

The incomplete and downright bogus stories we accept as comprehensive reporting are nothing of the sort, and we mindlessly accept them at our own peril. Questioning and connecting dots doesn’t make one a conspiracy theorist, it makes one a seeker of truth.

Whether it’s deaths at Occupy sites, helicopter crashes with high level Mexican drug cops aboard, munitions explosions in Iran, or Penn State prosecutors gone missing, we’re getting half the story at best, and we’re the worse off for it.

Dr. John tips his hat to, of all people, Justin Timberlake and his lady friend, and it turns out they warrant the gesture.

Here are the links:

Part 1:

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Part 2:

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LK’s “AM 970 The Apple” PodKast-The 10/24/11 Show

LK — Mon, 24 Oct 2011 17:36:03 +0000

Greece and Rhode Island find themselves in similar economic straights. Suicide is illegal in China but a lot of Apple employees break the law anyway. The Rediots and the Bludiots cannot dial it down enough to get anything done, and we the people get the short end of the stick

LK’s character flaw is your early warning system. He can’t stop and smell the roses because he’s forever anticipating and extrapolating. Yesterday he went to the Jet game and came back with observations on the Chinese solar industry, gratitude, and redemption. Dr. John is back and in fine form. Enjoy.

Part 1:

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Part 2:

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LK’s “AM 970 The Apple” PodKast-The 10/17/11 Show

Editor — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 15:13:58 +0000

LK sticks his head in the bucket of muck called “the news”, so you don’t have to if you don’t choose to, and he loses his mind so you have the option of keeping yours.

The MLK memorial, an ex-con working at Mickey D’s who’s either the con man or the victim, the traveling sideshow of Republican candidates, and Holder’s haplessness are all on the docket, and then some.

Part 1:

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Part 2:

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LK’s “AM 970 The Apple” PodKast-The 10/10/11 Show

Editor — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 14:07:54 +0000

As LK wrote to a mentor type last week:

We’ve gotten stupid and selfish and evil, but of the few who allow themselves to see that, even fewer are willing to say it. Nothing good is going to happen unless and until there is a critical mass of revulsion for the culture we have embraced and/or succumbed to.

This week’s show jumps from Wall Street to Washington to war zones, from bailouts of too big to fail to failings of too small-minded to think straight. Everybody’s doing “The Corruption” as if it’s the latest dance craze.

To lighten things up, LK and Dr. John deal with LK’s delusional belief that the Yankees are in the LCS, and they tip their hats to Governor Christie for speeding up the auto inspection process by putting brakes, wipers, and leaky gas tanks on the back burner.

Here’s the link to the show.

Part 1:

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Part 2:

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Cellular Disruption-LK’s WOR BroadKast 5/25/11

LK — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:12:15 +0000

What’s the good of repairing international relationships or fixing the domestic economy if we’re all going to become mutant X-Men due to cell phone radiation? LK and Dr. John spar and the ring is spattered with verbal blood.

Here’s the link.



Stop Playin’ With My Head-LK’s WOR BroadKast 4/8/11

LK — Sat, 09 Apr 2011 12:27:27 +0000

Shutdown or no shutdown, LK is furious that our elected officials are playing with his head, your head, our heads. The disrespect shown us by OUR representatives, who are OUR employees is disgraceful. Dr. John focuses on the human toll the DC crew was willing to inflict on their constituents. That the shutdown has been averted shouldn’t let the DC crew off the hook for their “more interested in re-election than re-invigorating the country” attitude.

Here’s the link.