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Celebrex, Vioxx Scandals Prompt AIDS Group to Call for Ban on Consumer Drug Advertising

AIDS Healthcare Foundation Says New Independent Panel Should Oversee All Drug Research

What: MEDIA AVAILABILITY -- AHF Calls for Emergency Ban on Direct to Consumer Drug Advertising & Creation of a New Panel to Review Drug Research

Who: Michael Weinstein, President, AIDS Healthcare Foundation

Contact: Ged Kenslea, AHF Communications Director, 323.860.5225(w) 323.791.5526(m)

LOS ANGELES, Dec. 17 /PRNewswire/ -- On the heels of the latest drug industry debacle -- serious safety concerns raised earlier today on Pfizer's blockbuster drug, Celebrex -- AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest AIDS organization in the United States which operates free AIDS treatment clinics in the US, Africa, Central America and India, will call upon the US government to implement an emergency ban on direct-to-consumer advertising by the pharmaceutical industry.

Earlier this week AHF had also called for the creation of a new, independent blue ribbon commission or panel to review all drug research in light of several recent other drug industry scandals roiling the nation's public health and raising serious questions about the US bodies that license and regulate the industry.

"The pharmaceutical industry continues to abuse and manipulate a fast-track drug approval process the FDA first implemented for drugs and treatments for genuine life-threatening illnesses such as AIDS in order to bring hugely profitable -- and, as Celebrex and Vioxx demonstrate, increasingly deadly -- drugs to market," said Michael Weinstein, AIDS Healthcare Foundation president.

"While it may have been worth the risk for illnesses that are truly deadly, is it worth jeopardizing the American public's health in order to bring new, 'me too' drugs that are really glofified aspirin compounds? And the drug industry then unleashes a barrage of slick, direct-to-consumer advertisements in order to convince a trusting public to buy and use these drugs that they really don't need. We are calling on the government to institute an emergency ban on such drug advertising until the process for approving, licensing and regulating our drug supply is fixed."

"The FDA and NIH are clearly letting the American public -- and the world at large -- down with regard to their so-called roles as regulatory bodies overseeing the safety and efficacy of our drug supply." Weinstein went on, "The system is riddled with conflict of interest and needs to be fixed. This emergency ban on consumer adverting and creation of a new independent body to review all drug industry research would be a good first step. The issue is really one of developing a competent and respected testing and approval process that the public can truly trust and one which the world can look to."

Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20030429/AHFLOGO AP
Archive: http://photoarchive.ap.org/
PRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
Quelle: AIDS Healthcare Foundation

First Vioxx Trial Postponed

May 23, 2005 - ASHLAND, Ala. -- The first Vioxx case to be heard in the nation has been postponed once again. The trial was set to begin Monday in Clay County.

An attorney for the plaintiff, Cheryl Rogers, said during a hearing that a delay was needed because his firm is poring over 5 million documents of evidence and needs time to take additional sworn testimony from potential witnesses.

Rogers is suing over the death of her 42-year-old husband, Brad. She contends the death was related to Vioxx.

Answer the Phone: Your Identity is on the Line

Beverly Hills, CA -- (ArriveNet - May 06, 2005) -- There hasn't been much good news in the battle against identity theft lately, with fraudsters staying one step ahead of the game. But don't panic, our old friend the telephone has come to the rescue.

We're all aware of the problem of identity theft, but did you know that your local pizza chain has had a solution for years? You recognize it as the system that prevents little Johnny from having twenty pizzas delivered to your door at midnight: the pizza chain calls you immediately after the order is placed to verify the validity of the order. Because little Johnny is afraid to be caught, he'll think twice about causing this pizza-related havoc.

TeleSign's patent-pending verification system has transferred this pizza concept to the high-tech world. It works like this: after filling out a form on a website, the user is prompted to enter his phone number. A robotic system then places a call to that number and speaks aloud a unique three digit code. Once that code is entered into the website, the authentication is complete. This system can be implemented at any point on a website: at registration, purchase, a specific time interval, or at the request of a user.

Email verification is the current standard for user authentication, but email may end up filtered, junked, bulked, or trashed. Because of spam, viruses, and phishing, email filtering has become so aggressive that even legitimate emails don't reach the inbox. But a telephone call cannot be stopped, making this the perfect time for the introduction of TeleSign’s solution.

The future of ecommerce is threatened by rampant fraud and lack of trust. TeleSign will force anonymous users to expose their faces by revealing their working phone numbers.

To try an interactive demo, visit (http://www.telesign.com/demo2/demo.asp) and have your phone ready.

For more information about TeleSign’s products and services, visit (http://www.telesign.com/demo2/) or email press2@telesign.com.

About TeleSign Corp.
TeleSign is a leader in innovative internet security solutions and provider of intelligent telephone-based verification solutions for any entity conducting business online where trust is essential and where fraud is a concern. TeleSign’s patent-pending Verification System provides a critical layer of security for the e-commerce world and is a proven deterrent against ill-intentioned web users. The company’s first product, the TeleSign Verification System, blends the latest internet, security and telephony technologies into a powerful new tool to combat fraud and enhance trust in e-business.

TeleSign Corp. seeks to provide simplified solutions for any company conducting business online where trust is essential and where fraud is a concern. TeleSign’s patent-pending Verification System provides a critical layer of security for the e-commerce world and is a proven deterrent against ill-intentioned web users. TeleSign’s Verification System is able to legitimize a web user’s claimed identification at a miniscule cost and with little inconvenience to all parties involved.

TeleSign’s Verification System is based upon the premise that ill-intentioned web users hesitate to disclose their working phone numbers. By placing a computer-generated telephone call coupled with a unique security code, we insist that a web user provide a legitimate telephone number or be rooted out. The company’s first product, the TeleSign Verification System, blends the latest internet, security and telephony technologies into a powerful new tool to combat fraud in e-commerce.

Visit http://www.telesign.com/demo2/ or call 310-276-5900 for more information.

TeleSign Corporation
Contact: Sam Gonen
Telephone: (310) 276-7843
Email: press2@telesign.com

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