Why is the FDA Lying About Chantix Health Risks?

The FDA recently announced on its tobacco web site a new online resource dedicated to smoking cessation. The FDA describes this site as containing "resources" for those who are "trying to quit smoking." The site encourages smokers trying to quit to use drugs, and one of the drugs recommended is Chantix. On the Chantix information page, readers are informed that side effects of Chantix may include "nausea, trouble sleeping, change in dreaming, mood swings, depression, and suicidal thoughts." Readers are also informed that: "There have been rare reports of mood swings, depression, and suicidal thoughts."The Rest of the StoryThe rest of the story is that suicidal thoughts are not the only thing with which Chantix has been associated. It has also been associated with attempted and completed suicides -- hundreds of them. In hiding the fact that Chantix has been associated with actual suicide attempts and suicides, the FDA is deeply misleading the public. And I would say that in this context, this omission of critical information amounts to a lie: a lie which appears to be deliberate since it is downplaying the risks of Chantix in an apparent attempt to avoid discouraging smokers from trying this pharmaceutical product.There is a world of difference between suicidal ideation and attempted or completed suicide. Readers hearing about a rare side effect of suicidal thoughts are likely to infer that this is a minor effect that can be simply monitored and will not lead to any major prob...
Source: The Rest of the Story: Tobacco News Analysis and Commentary - Category: Health Medicine and Bioethics Commentators Source Type: blogs