Novartis = the maker of Ritalin and DDT & originally malathion - toxic producers for the world
(heavy DDT use during time of poliomyelitis epidemics that very likely were really DDT and
other pesticides toxicities, not from a virus)

http://www.laleva.org/it/2005/10/ritalin_the_coverup_of_suicides.html

Treatment with Ritalin has caused suicides and suicide attempts in children.



The Medical Products Agency (MPA) in Sweden knew about "21 cases of
attempted suicide and six suicides" but approved Ritalin anyway.



FDA has warned about "Suicide Ideation" in connection with Ritalin
treatment - but didn't FDA know about the suicides?



From the depths of the archives at the Swedish Medical Products Agency
(MPA) some astonishing papers have emerged. Papers showing that Ritalin,
prescribed to children with the diagnosis ADHD, causes depression and has
led to suicides and suicide attempts.



The MPA knew about these disastrous effects when approving Ritalin for
sales in Sweden June 15 this year. No warnings were given to physicians or
the public.



FDA announced June 28 that Ritalin and other methylphenidate drugs had been
linked to "visual hallucinations, suicidal ideation, psychotic behavior, as
well as aggression or violent behaviour". Nothing was said about suicides
or suicide attempts.


The narcotic drug Ritalin has been withdrawn from the Swedish market for 37
years - since the abuse catastrophe in the 60-ties. But Swedish
psychiatrists have in recent years demanded the right to prescribe Ritalin
and other stimulants to children - with the false pretence that the
narcotic drug for children with the diagnosis ADHD would work as insulin
for persons with diabetes. The expert child psychiatrist at the MPA has led
the campaign; he has assured the public there are no serious short-term or
long-term side effects from stimulant treatment of children.

When the British pharmaceutical company GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) 2003 tried to
get approval for children for its blockbuster drug Seroxat (Paxil) it was
revealed that the company already five years earlier had known that the
drug increased the suicide risk in children. This exposure led to the
disapproval of the application and the British authorities instead banned
Seroxat - should not be prescribed to children.

History seemed to be repeating itself when pharmaceutical company Novartis
in 2004 was seeking approval for Ritalin for children in Sweden - a country
in the unique position of having banned the drug already in the 60-ties.
Novartis had not for many years had reason to turn in documentation in
other countries, but they had to do it in Sweden. And in the submitted
documents (written already year 2000!) it is under the heading SUICIDE
revealed: "it is known that Ritalin therapy and its sudden discontinuation
may cause depression in some patients."

Under the same heading Novartis is also revealing: "A search of the
Novartis international safety data base allowed the identification of 21
cases of attempted suicide and six suicides, in addition to 25 reports of
suicidal ideations in patient aged 6-48 years, 56% of whom were children
aged less than 16 years."

But unlike the British authorities in the Seroxat case the Swedish MPA
didn't come to the defence of the children. Instead the MPA in June 2005
approved Ritalin, and covered up the information about suicides and suicide
attempts! The public or physicians didn't get any warnings.

And now the MPA has taken one step further: declared that the document
telling about the suicides is classified information. It is decided, "the
pharmaceutical company in question can be harmed" if access is granted to
the documentation.

The agency supposed to be for the public is, under pressure from
psychiatrists and a pharmaceutical company, approving a narcotic drug that
can cause depression and suicide. It is then hiding the disastrous results
to protect the company.

This medical scandal also involves the FDA. The agency can be expected to
have known about the deadly effects of Ritalin - but did not act. What is
buried in the files of the FDA?

Janne Larsson
Writer
Sweden

janne.olov.larsson@telia.com