… has had a long, storied, lucrative relationship with the Johnson and Johnson corporation, makers of Risperdal, an absolutely adorable anti-psychotic for the millions of American children who, thanks largely to Biederman’s research, have been diagnosed bipolar.
What’s adorable about Risperdal is how it’s marketed. What child can resist free legos? Risperdal puts legos stamped with the word RISPERDAL in pediatricians offices! If the sight of a three-year old playing with toys advertising her induction into a world of really powerful anti-psychotic medicine doesn’t make you go AWWWW, maybe there’s something wrong with you.
Biederman’s Harvard-legitimized work for J&J no doubt made it easier for that company to get states like Texas to approve it for Medicaid coverage. Only now the state’s all pissed and it’s suing to beat the band because “The state contends it paid 45 times more for Risperdal than comparable drugs after accepting the company’s claims that it was superior to rival medications.” (Let’s not even talk about J&J ad reps kissing doctors’ asses to get them to prescribe it in unapproved ways.) On what research (assuming the state of Texas is able – and willing – to read research) did Texas base its conclusion that its citizens should subsidize Risperdal?
So – bottom line here is that J&J will lose the case and will be made to pay an absolutely derisory sum in damages – a few hundred million, the cost of doing business, no one gives a shit.
January 18th, 2012 at 8:19PM
He’s much more entangled than solely a Harvard type. He’s s $enior $maker (rainmaker) at Massachuseets General Hospital. MGH is one of the founding organizations of Partners. Partners is run by a – wait for it – psychiatrist, Gary Gottlieb – who came up through the ranks at the other founding org – Brigham and Women’s, which is a part and parcel of the Harvard Medical School’s Longwood Campus. When Biederman publicly got his tap on the wrist from Harvard/Partners/MGH, the letter simply said that he wouldn’t be double dipping for a year. Period. That. Is. All.
He only regrets that he was caught – he has never expressed remorse for any of the effects his actions have had on patients, their families, or his colleagues (the duped). He has never stated any intent, nor has he in actuality, changed his practice, research or his industry relationships.
MGH also has its own CRO – predominantly for psychiatric/pharma research, its own CME – the MGH Academy, which BTW, you are welcome to join and watch Biederman lectures – and read the ad for his upcoming keynote at the MGH ho$ted psychopharmacology course, which is advertised as THE national conference for psychiatric pharmacology and evidence based treatment, and so forth. So they control the research, control the results (the me$$age), market the me$$age as CME, and control patient treatment because now it’s hawked as evidence-based.
And if, per chance, you were seeking actual care at MGH or the Brigham, and were uninsured/underinsured, you would be given the phone number for the CRO to see if you “qualify” to be “treated” “at little or no cost” to you – of course never mentioning that you would enrolled as a $tudy $ubject to be used at whim by the KOLs. Why, there’s even an [email protected] email address to use so that they can keep you apprised of all research you “qualify” for. You need only enroll with your demographic, financial and health information.
January 19th, 2012 at 6:31AM
[…] Joseph Biederman, MD, with whom Senator Grassley had so much fun a while back. Biederman is still in the news. It is also the home of Andrew Nierenberg, MD, who was rash enough to take on Marcia Angell in the […]
January 19th, 2012 at 6:30PM
[…] Joseph Biederman, MD, with whom Senator Grassley had so much fun a while back. Biederman is still in the news. It is also the home of Andrew Nierenberg, MD, who was rash enough to take on Marcia Angell in the […]
January 19th, 2012 at 6:39PM
I was forced to take Risperdal on 2 back-to-back 90-day outpatient commitments. I almost got diabetes before I got off of it. The shrink tried to blame my elevated triglyceride/cholesterol levels on my diet and failed to mention that they were a well-known effect of the drug. It also gave me problems with sexual function, which the shrink wanted to ignore. Oh, and you know what else it did for me? Absolutely nothing. I thought I was taking sugar pills. But the dope peddling shrink kept insisting it was helping me. He should be thankful that I have decent, naturally built-in impulse control because I would have gladly murdered him for his lack of concern and candor.
January 21st, 2012 at 1:40PM
[…] “Risperdal, an absolutely adorable anti-psychotic for the millions of American children who, thanks l….” […]
April 28th, 2012 at 2:10PM
Why has the New York Times NOT done a single story since March 20, 2009, OVER 3 YEARS AGO, on Dr. Joseph Biederman and Harvard Medical School specifically, and their obvious cover-up for Dr. Biederman (40-fold increase in childhood bipolar diagnoses AFTER Dr. Biederman promised/suggested to J&J what the results would be BEFORE the Risperdal study was done, and the income to Dr. Biederman went unreported to Harvard ….) and his co-conspirators investigated by Harvard??? Harvard University should absolutely release the FULL REPORT (don’t believe they have even released a pretend summary) on the investigation they did of Dr. Biederman and his colleagues.
Harvard University has NOT done so (as the writer of this post understands it).
It is especially noteworthy that while the The New York Times has reported on billion dollar plus settlements and judgments against Johnson & Johnson regarding Risperdal, no new stories have appeared about Dr. Joseph Biederman and his role.
Harvard University and Harvard Medical School and Mass General all need(s) to stop covering for Dr. Joseph Biederman AND RELEASE THE INTERNAL INVESTIGATION REPORT which led to the effectively nonsense “slap on the wrist”.
New York Times, Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, Harvard Corporation — please all wake up, report on and release the facts which are already out there and the facts which still need to be investigated and released.
[this is personal opinion only, but based on much observation and research]