Vets, or Lab Rats?

-The Texas Observer

08/09/2008- Time for another Gooberhead Award, presented periodically to newsmakers who’ve got their mouths going 100 miles an hour, but forgot to put their brains in gear.

There are so many gooberheads in today’s story it’s hard to tell who’s the gooberest of them all. It’s certainly not James Elliot, an Army veteran who came back from Iraq with post-traumatic stress disorder. During his treatment by the Veterans Administration, he was recruited by VA doctors for a behavioral study of Chantix, an experimental drug developed by Pfizer Inc. to help people stop smoking.

But no one told Elliott about one detail: A side effect of Chantix is that it can make you suicidal. Sure enough, weeks into the test, Elliot suffered a mental breakdown, got a gun, and ended up tasered and arrested.

Three weeks later, the VA finally notified the other 940 vets in the study that ... uh ... there could be a ... side effect. Unabashed, the lead doctor declared that Elliott’s breakdown was no reason to deprive veterans of “an effective method of treatment to help them stop smoking.”

Then came the goobers in the White House to defend their VA appointees for running a dangerous human experiment on vets without telling them. Bush flack Tony Fratto hailed the “wonderful leadership” of VA Secretary and Gooberhead Award-winner James Peake, who said he saw “no evidence to suggest the study should be stopped.”

Well, not unless you count Elliott’s breakdown.

If you are currently taking Chantix and have concerns about its safety, you should consult with your doctor regarding your treatment options. Under no circumstances should you discontinue taking any medication, including Chantix, without first consulting with your doctor. For Chantix legal information contact the Chantix Attorneys of Ennis & Ennis, P.A. by filling out our free Chantix case evaluation form or by calling the toll-free number listed below.