Thursday, August 26, 2004

GlaxoSmithKline to Release Paxil Data
AP story at Yahoo - "GlaxoSmithKline PLC agreed Thursday to release negative data on the safety and effectiveness of its antidepressant drugs to settle a lawsuit by New York's attorney general that accused the pharmaceutical maker of misrepresenting data on prescribing its drug Paxil to children. GlaxoSmithKline will put summaries of all its studies since December 2000 on its Web site. The London-based company is the first major drug maker to agree to disclose all its studies. The company also will pay $2.5 million to the state as part of the settlement."  
  

Advocates say county’s mental-health services are strapped (California)
Santa Cruz Sentinel story - "A financially strapped mental-health system is at risk of greater decay without an infusion of cash, advocates said Tuesday. A county budget that garnered preliminary approval in late June is still subject to more cuts, mental health among them. Supporters of the mentally ill say Proposition 63, on the ballot in November, offers the best hope for shoring up services. Proposition 63 would add a 1 percent tax on taxable personal income of more than $1 million."  
  

Aliquippa mental health units reopen (Pennsylvania)
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette story - "As other hospitals in the region scale back or shut psychiatric services, Aliquippa Community Hospital is banking on mental health to improve its finances as it emerges from bankruptcy. The tiny institution, which on Monday won U.S. Bankruptcy Court approval for its Chapter 11 reorganization plan, reopened its 26-bed inpatient psychiatric unit and an outpatient mental health clinic in February. The hospital also hopes to soon provide a service known as 'partial hospitalization' for adolescents with mental health problems and another service targeting patients who are 'dually diagnosed' with mental health and substance abuse problems."  
  

Mental health care meeting draws 300 (Wisconsin)
Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel story - "The desire to improve mental health care in Milwaukee County is so great that organizers had to turn away more than 100 people who wanted to attend an all-day conference Tuesday. More than 200 people - doubled the projected number - spent the day at the Italian Community Center discussing ways to more efficiently and effectively help people in Milwaukee County with chronic and acute mental illness..."  
  

Calculating the Costs of Mental Health Care
NPR story (in print and audio) - "Treatment for mental illness is a major driver of health care inflation and second only to heart disease, according to a new study in the journal Health Affairs. And among mental health treatments, antidepressant drugs known as SSRIs are a big contributor to that cost inflation, the study concludes. Over the last year, pharmacies filled more than $146 million in prescriptions for SSRIs." See also the Health Affairs articles, Effect of Declining Mental Health Service Use on Employees of a Large Corporation and Depression in the Workplace. The NPR page also includes links to other, related resources online.