Zantac Lawsuit


Researching drug company and regulatory malfeasance for over 16 years
Humanist, humorist

Monday, May 09, 2011

Metformin - Clinical Trial Targets Expectant Mothers

Image: dubaichronicle.com


Just when you thought it [the psychopharmaceutical monopoly] had rolled out every possible "pill for an ill" along comes one of the most ridiculous drug pushing exercise I think I have ever witnessed.

A controversial NHS trial will see hundreds of mothers given drugs to stop them having obese babies.

The drug, metformin, a diabetes pill, is being administered to women on the trial up to three times a day during their pregnancy, writes the Daily Mail.

Metformin is a medication for type 2 diabetes, its ultimate goal being to lower blood sugar to a normal level and maintain this level. Both placebo and active drugs in the trial will be supplied by Merck Sante, a subsidiary of Merck KGaA.

The Daily Mail article writes:

The treatment is designed to reduce the food supply to the baby, rather than make the expectant mother lose weight herself.

With studies suggesting that the seeds of obesity are sown in the womb, early intervention could save youngsters from a lifetime of weight problems and ill-health.

The trial is being funded by The UK Clinical Research Collaboration [UKCRC], whom has amongst its partners; The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry [ABPI] - The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency [MHRA] and The Wellcome Trust.

The trial will involve 400 obese but non-diabetic volunteers at hospitals in Liverpool, Edinburgh and Coventry.

The protocol for the trial can be viewed HERE

**Footnote: Metformin is a useful anti-hyperglycaemic agent but significant mortality is associated with drug-induced lactic acidosis. [Source]

More about lactic acidosis HERE

Fid

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