Monday, May 19, 2003

The Onion

5/14/2003

Pfizer Launches 'Zoloft For Everything' Ad Campaign

NEW YORK–Seeking to broaden the customer base of the popular drug, Pfizer announced the launch of a $40 million "Zoloft For Everything" advertising campaign Monday.

"Zoloft is most commonly prescribed for the treatment of depression and anxiety disorders, but it would be ridiculous to limit such a multi-functional drug to these few uses," Pfizer spokesman Jon Pugh said. "We feel doctors need to stop asking their patients if anything is wrong and start asking if anything could be more right."

Continued Pugh: "How many millions of people out there are suffering under the strain of a deadline at work or pre-date jitters, but don't realize there's a drug that could provide relief? Zoloft isn't just for severe anxiety or depression. Got the Monday blues? Kids driving you nuts? Let Zoloft help. Zoloft."

Zoloft (sertraline hydrochloride) was originally introduced as a means of treating depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, and obsessive-compulsive disorder. In January of this year, however, Pfizer won FDA approval for use of Zoloft to treat premenstrual dysphoric disorder, as well as social-anxiety disorder, or "social phobia."

Last week, the FDA okayed Zoloft for treatment of "the entire range of unpleasant or otherwise negative social, physical, and mental feelings that an individual may experience in the course of a human life."

"At first, Zoloft was only used to treat depression," Pugh said. "But what is depression, really? Who died and gave doctors the authority to dictate who is and isn't depressed? One man's hangnail could be another man's darkest depths of despair. Isn't medication a tool to help people lead better, happier lives? Access to drugs should not be restricted to those the medical community officially deems 'sick.'"

Pfizer president James Vernon said the "Zoloft For Everything" campaign will employ print and TV ads to inform potential users about the "literally thousands" of new applications for Zoloft. Among the conditions the drug can be used to treat: anxiety associated with summer swimsuit season, insecurity over sexual potency and performance, feelings of shame over taking an antidepressant, and a sense of hollowness stemming from losing an online auction.

In today's fast-paced world, Vernon said, people don't have time to deal with mood changes.

"Zoloft has always helped clinically depressed people modulate serotonin levels and other chemical imbalances that make life unlivable for them," Vernon said. "But now, Zoloft can also help anyone who needs their emotions leveled off. Do you find yourself feeling excited or sad? No one should have to suffer through those harrowing peaks and valleys."

Anita White of Yuma, AZ, sought out Zoloft after seeing one of the new commercials.

"I was sitting on the couch, just watching TV, and, for the life of me, I couldn't motivate myself to go down to the basement to do the laundry," White said. "Luckily, a Zoloft ad came on right at that moment. I went to their web site and, sure enough, one of the 'Is Zoloft Right For You?' quiz questions was, 'Are you unable to motivate yourself to go down to the basement to do the laundry?' That's when I knew."

Other pharmaceutical companies are following Pfizer's lead. On Tuesday, Paxil manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline unveiled its new ad slogan, "Paxil... Give It A Try." Eli Lilly, maker of Prozac, is slated to launch a similar campaign built around the slogan, "Pot Roast Burnt? Husband Home With The Flu? You're Having One Of Those Prozac Days."

"We are letting consumers know that if they suspect Zoloft might improve the quality of their lives, they should contact their doctor," Pugh said. "And remember, you'll need to take Zoloft for at least eight weeks to make sure it's working."

Pugh warned that Zoloft use may cause side effects such as agitation, erratic behavior, restlessness, difficulty speaking, or shaking of hands and fingers. He added that Zoloft can help those suffering from agitation, erratic behavior, restlessness, difficulty speaking, and shaking of hands and fingers.

Thursday, May 15, 2003

Millions die of flu complications every year, but 500
die of "SARS" and suddenly a massive quarantine police
state crackdown ensues eliciting mass-hysteria,
madness, economic meltdown, cries for global
government, Big Brother cameras in the home, GPS
tracking bracelets and crushing human rights
violations.

This is no accident, no act of nature.

from PW (via Aftermath News)

SARS: Violators Will Be Shot
China upped the stakes in the fight against Sars on
Thursday, threatening to execute or jail for life
anyone who violates quarantine restrictions and
spreads the disease.
Link to article>>

Beijing - China upped the stakes in the fight against
Sars on Thursday, threatening to execute or jail for
life anyone who violates quarantine restrictions and
spreads the disease.

The interpretation of the country's infectious
diseases law, issued by the Supreme People's Court and
the Supreme People's Procuratorate, went into effect
on May 13, but was publicised in full in Thursday's
Legal Daily.

"Intentionally spreading sudden contagious disease
pathogens that endangers public security or leads to
serious personal injury, death or heavy loss of public
or private property will be punishable by 10 years to
life imprisonment or the death penalty," Xinhua news
agency said of the ruling.

The World Health Organisation immediately expressed
concern that the draconian law could be
counterproductive as it would deter possible Sars
patients from going to hospital.

"There is a fine balance with this kind of disease
where you need to isolate and quarantine patients, but
if you are too heavy handed it may end up only
stigmatising people," said WHO spokesperson Mangai
Balasegaram.

The drastic move came as the epidemic showed further
signs of abating with the lowest reported number of
new cases since the government ended a nearly
five-month attempt at covering up the crisis on April
20.

Mass public campaign
Four new deaths and 52 new cases took the cumulative
nationwide tallies to 271 and 5 163 respectively.

Beijing, the worst hit city in the world, also
recorded its lowest number of cases (27) since April
20, to take its total to 2 388 and 140 dead.

With the economy taking a beating from Sars, the
government has embarked on a mass public campaign
aimed at eradicating a disease that originated in
southern Guangdong province in November.

The threat of death or jail appears to be part of
those measures and came as government officials voiced
confidence they could keep the disease from spreading
to the vast countryside.

"The potential risk and transmission routes for Sars
spreading to rural areas clearly exist," said Liu
Jian, head of the task force of rural affairs for the
National Sars Prevention and Control Headquarters.

"However we have taken various and vigorous measures
to prevent Sars spreading into the countryside."

China liberally uses the death penalty, executing more
people each year than the rest of the world combined,
according to Amnesty International.

The new ruling appeared similar to a July 1999
interpretation of China's criminal law, in which the
judiciary determined that vague references in the law
to "evil cults" formed the legal basis to a nationwide
crackdown on the Falungong spiritual group.

Negligent health officials

According to the ruling, people with or suspected of
carrying contagious diseases, who refuse medical
exams, isolation or treatment and pass on the disease
unintentionally can be sentenced from three to seven
years.

Negligent health officials found guilty of allowing a
disease to spread can be imprisoned for up to three
years, it said.

China has already sacked its health minister and the
mayor of Beijing, as well as hundreds of other lower
level officials for failing to properly address the
outbreak or implement preventative measures.

Despite the ruling only taking affect this week,
Chinese police have already been busy.

Police in Inner Mongolia last week arrested a man who
infected six family members with Sars, including his
father who died, for "obstructing the prevention of
infectious diseases," after he escaped from
quarantine.

The man, Li Song, is believed to be the first formally
charged in China for escaping from Sars quarantine,
while three men who escaped a Beijing Sars isolation
centre were arrested in neighbouring Hebei and
returned to hospital after police set up a huge
dragnet.

Police have also arrested Internet "rumour-mongers"
for spreading false information on Sars, while the
state press has been full of stories on police
crackdowns and raids on people selling fake or shoddy
medicine and medical products.

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