October 29, 2009 — First-time, second-generation antipsychotic use in children and adolescents is associated with rapid and significant weight gain as well as varied adverse metabolic changes, new research shows. “These medications are not benign and can have side effects that can have potential long-term complications that are associated with endocrine and cardiovascular illness,” said principal investigator Christoph U. Correll, MD.[http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/711526]
November 13, 2009 — More research appears to confirm recent results of a large, prospective cohort study that the use of atypical antipsychotics (AAPs) increases the risk of significant weight gain and varied metabolic changes in children and adolescents with mental illness and behavioral disturbances. According to Dr. Panagiotopoulos, a growing body of evidence in adults demonstrating that AAPs cause significant weight gain, hyperlipidemia, and insulin resistance has raised concerns among the medical community in general, and the psychiatric community in particular, about whether these drugs may increase the risk of premature cardiovascular disease in children and adolescents. [http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/712079]
February 24, 2010 — A significant proportion of children younger than 18 years in at least 1 state Medicaid population received a second-generation antipsychotic for conditions that have no published evidence supporting their use. “Clearly, behavioural problems, including oppositional and conduct disorders and hyperkinetic-hyperactivity symptoms, were frequently seen among the children treated with second-generation antipsychotics,” the investigators write. [http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/717544]
October 27, 2010 — GlaxoSmithKline has agreed to pay an eye-popping $750 million and will plead guilty to a criminal charge to settle a U.S. government investigation of manufacturing deficiencies at a former plant in Puerto Rico. The investigation largely concerned the manufacture of defective pills including the Paxil antidepressant at Glaxo’s plant in Cidra, Puerto Rico, between 2001 and 2005. U.S. authorities found that some tablets could split apart or had inappropriate amounts of active ingredient, posing safety risks. [http://blogs.wsj.com/law/2010/10/27/gsk-to-pay-750m-to-settle-charges-over-adulterated-drugs/?blog_id=14&post_id=35066]
October 28, 2010 — Anna Nicole Smith’s psychiatrist was convicted of conspiring to fake names on prescriptions. Psychiatrist Dr. Khristine Eroshevich was convicted of conspiring with Howard K. Stern to fraudulently prescribe Vicodin. [http://www.sacbee.com/2010/10/28/3140863/jury-acquits-smiths-doctor-in.html]