Special Report: Prescription Drug Culture

I was going to wait until next week to review the book, Our Daily Meds, by Melody Petersen, but after looking at a few news stories from today and adding them to the ones from the past few weeks, I'm going to do my best to get the review done today. 

[everystockphoto.com]

Here are some recent news stories about the drug industry:

• Almost Half Of All Americans Use Prescription Drugs Each Month [Kaiser Health News]

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  Drugmakers script social media to push meds [msnbc]

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  Child's ordeal shows risks of psychosis drugs [msnbc/nytimes]

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  Osteoporosis drugs may raise throat cancer risk [msnbc]

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  Special Report: Outgunned FDA tries to get tough with drug ads [Reuters]

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  Botox maker guilty, to pay $809m [TODAYonline]

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  Orexigen signs $1 billion obesity drug deal [ap]

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  Questions loom over drug given to sleepless vets [ap]

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  Swine flu advisers' ties to drug firms: Five WHO experts linked with vaccine ... [Daily Mail]

• America's most medicated state? West Virginia [msnbc]

Hopefully today, I will get a review written for the book, Our Daily Meds, which reveals what is really going on with the pharmaceutical industry.  I do believe in life-saving medication (being the granddaughter of a polio survivor), but I don't think most Americans understand the drug culture we live in.