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November 22, 2008 11:39:03 CST

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Vets Used to Test Drugs Linked to Suicide

Posted Jun 17, 08 2:33 PM CDT in US,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – Combat veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder were recruited for clinical trials of drugs linked to suicide and mental disorders, ABC reports. In a trial involving the smoking-cessation drug Chantix, the VA did not warn patients of the drug's serious potential side effects until 3 months after the FDA and the drug's maker had issued warnings.

The VA has defended its decision to keep the study going, but medical ethicists slammed the use of already-troubled vets to test the drugs. "They never told me that I was going to be suicidal, that I would cease sleeping," said one Iraq vet who suffered a mental breakdown during the Chantix study. "They never told me anything except this will help me quit smoking."

Source ABC News

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A US. Army sergeant demonstrates a PTSD treatment in this file photo.   (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)
US military veterans suffering post-traumatic stress disorder have been recruited for clinical trials of drugs linked to mental disorders, including the anti-smoking drug Chantix.   ((c) justj0000lie)
Combat veterans undergo therapy for PTSD in this file photo.   (KRT Photos)
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veterans • PTSD • Department of Veterans Affairs • clinical trials • Food & Drug Administration • Chantix • Veterans Administration


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