Alexander C. Kaufman
TheWrap
Thu, 05 Jul 2012 19:00 CDT

© Kevin Winter/Getty Images
Dr. Drew Pinsky
Dr. Drew Pinsky has come under fire for helping to market an antidepressant for uses not approved by the Food and Drug Administration.
A Boston judge on Thursday approved a record $3 billion guilty plea by British drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline, which paid the "Celebrity Rehab" doctor -- known as Dr. Drew -- $275,000 to tout Wellbutrin, approved by the FDA to treat depression, as a drug to treat other conditions including obesity, addictions and sexual dysfunction.
At one point, Pinsky, then hosting sex and romance radio program "
Loveline," told a woman that ingredients in the drug explained her having 60 orgasms in one night, a by-the-books talking point from Glaxo in what the federal government called its "
nationwide scheme" to market the drug for alternative uses.
In a statement to Forbes, Pinsky defended his comments about the drug, claiming
they were in line with his clinical observations of its side effects.
"In the late 90s I was hired to participate in a 2 year initiative discussing intimacy and depression which was funded by an educational grant by Glaxo Wellcome," he wrote in the e-mailed statement. "Services for the non branded campaign included town hall meetings, writings and multimedia activities in conjunction with the patient advocacy group the National Depressive and Manic Depressive Association. My comments were consistent with my clinical experience."
But the Justice Department's complaint against Glaxo alleged that Pinsky highlighted the drug's libido-enhancing effects without revealing that he was a paid spokesman.
It is unclear whether Pinsky will face any legal issues.
Neither Pinsky nor Glaxo responded to emails and calls from
TheWrap for comment.
Comment: The idea that (corn and other, often GM based) food might be the cause of these health risks to animals and humans is never brought to the fore in this article. No reference to Genetically Modified Foods. No reference to the various antibiotics or growth hormones given to animals. No mention of the use of said items actually increasing the risk to human populations.Our food and water, the means of our continued survival are at risk due to over breeding, stagnant air, water and cramped spaces. Some animals haven't the space to turn their heads to scratch their own behinds. Of course you will get super bugs (diseases) in such areas as you feed the animals growth hormones and antibiotics. Should we expect a different outcome? Can you imagine growing up standing in your own urine and feces? Nearly all of our store purchased meats live just that way.
Farmers - real, live, human people, are our last defense at the kitchen table so far as what goes into our mouths. Do you think Industrial Farmers care as much about their product (your food!) as they do about profits?
Do you ever wonder why some foods, after eating them, make you feel like you lost energy? Do you realize that many of the non-meat & dairy products today, in your supermarket, contain Genetically Modified food ingredients? It's a cycle. One food is weakening your immune system and the other is loading you with toxins that cause sickness, disease, cancer..
Have a listen: Toxic World, Toxic Bodies
GMO Frankenfoods and What You Can Do to Improve Your Health
Or watch: