140 Veterans are Lab Rats CHANTRIX Cure PTSD, Stop smoking, while killing your family

[ProfessorMurder]

Wednesday, June 18, 2008

A stop smoking drug with potentially psychotic side effects, Chantix has been
the subject of an ongoing News 8 investigation for months.

There are new reports that the Veterans Administration never warned
veterans, used in a clinical trial, of the potential dangers.

In fact, the VA was alerted in September by Channel 8 as part of our investigation.

Former US Army sniper James Elliott says he feels betrayed by the Veterans Administration.

"Rat, lab rat, guinea pig, disposable hero," is how he describes himself.

Elliott was among some 140 combat veterans in a government clinical trial
combining post traumatic stress disorder therapy with the stop smoking
medication Chantix.

Only, the mentally-stressed patients weren't told about possible psychotic,
even suicidal side-effects of the drug, until three months after the FDA issued
an alert in November.

By then, Elliot had suffered a violent mental breakdown. His fiance even called
911, scared for her safety. After hearing the report Tuesday, Barack Obama
demanded an investigation, saying "it is outrageous and unacceptable that
our government would irresponsibly endanger veterans."

It turns out, the VA had been alerted to potentially dangerous side-effects
even before the FDA alert by News 8, in our first investigative report on
Chantix, September 4, some two months before the FDA warning.

Dr. Bryon Adinoff is an addiction specialist who spoke to us from his office at
the Dallas VA in September.

The Dallas VA is not involved in the Chantix clinical trial.

But Dr. Adinoff told us our concern about violent side effects could be
significant, if more complaints followed.

"It's something you'd want the company to know about, you'd want the FDA
to know about," he said.

Similar reports poured into the FDA by the thousands.

By phone, Dr. Adinoff told us he did not pass along these early concerns to anyone else at the VA.

The Veterans Administration released a statement reasserting "that neither
the FDA nor the manufacturer has ever recalled Chantix." And that "the VA's
use of Chantix is consistent with guidelines for smoking cessation established
by the US Surgeon General's office."

On Wednesday, the head of the Veteran's Affairs Committee called for
government clinical trials using Chantix to be suspended, calling
them "appalling."