Despite U.S. Food and Drug Administration warnings, the Veterans Administration failed to alert 32,000 veterans using the smoking cessation drug, Chantix. Nearly 1,000 of the vets were “enrolled in the Chantix study suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and had been recruited, with monthly $30 payments, for a behavioral study with the drug.” The combination of PTSD and Chantix puts the vets at particularly high risk for suicidal or violent behavior. There was a three month lag between the link being discovered and the vets being notified. Despite that, the White House defended the Veterans Administration, saying “The VA is doing everything they can to be mindful of the safety of these veterans in all their programs and try to help them. This is the Veterans Administration, under wonderful leadership by Secretary Peake, who is interested in the health and safety of these veterans that are under his care, and every other member of that VA system is the same.” Fratto in turn said “It hurts me to have anyone think we would treat our veterans as lab rats.” The initial letter sent to the vets did not mention suicide specifically, but a new letter currently being drafted will. As CMD previously reported, Pfizer has been working to counter bad press about the drug.

Source: ABC News, June 19, 2008

Spin of the Week comes courtesy of PR Watch, a project of the Wisconsin-based Center for Media and Democracy.