1. Provide the title of your story or series and the names of the journalists involved.
Singulair
Tisha Thompson – Reporter Rick Yarborough – Producer Lance Ing – Photographer
See this entry.
Watch this story on the web.
2. List date(s) this work was published or aired.
8-Nov-10
3. Provide a brief synopsis of the story or stories, including any significant findings.
Kids so out of control, you can't take them to church or the mall. But instead of blaming the parents or the kids themselves, WTTG-TV found the problem may instead be the popular drug Singulair. Even though its prescribed to millions of kids every year for stuffy noses and asthma prevention, we found there's been very little testing done on how Singulair affects children. Instead, a long list of behavioral side-effects like hyperactivity, depression and suicide has quietly been added to the drug's labeling, often without parents realizing it, within the last few years. We also show how the drug maker Merck has strategically partnered with kid-friendly groups like Scholastic Press and the American Academy of Pediatrics to encourage doctors to prescribe the medication in spite of a growing number of parents who say the drug is hurting, rather than helping, their children. This isn't a story about children dying from a drug reaction. Instead, impacts many more kids who are falling behind in school and being incorrectly diagnosed with problematic conditions like ADHD and Turette's Syndrome because of a medication they probably don't even need to take.
4. Explain types of documents, data or Internet resources used. Were FOI or public records act requests required? How did this affect the work?
I used the US Securities and Exchange Commission's EDGAR database to search through Merck's financial statements, especially its 10-k and 10-q filings, which revealed how lucrative Singulair was to the company and how much the company had to lose if kids stopped using it. I also used Public Citizen's "Worst Pills Best Pills" database to get an up-to-date label for Singulair, a list of alternative drugs and a history of the drug. I used the FDA's Adverse Events Database to see if side-effects in children were being reported to the government. I accessed this data from the FDA's website and used Microsoft Access to sort through the data. I requested, and received, from Merck several in-house studies studying Singulair's behavioral side-effects in children. I did a significant search through Merck's investor relations website to find press releases on the company charitable contributions, grants and partnerships with kid-friend groups like Scholastic and the American Academy of Pediatrics. I followed up this research with in-depth internet searches of each partnership.
5. Explain types of human sources used.
20 families who claim they were impacted by Singulair's side-effects. Pam Eisle – Merck Jenna Markle – www.parentsforsafety.org Dr. Sidney Wolfe – Public Citizen Susan Martin – American Academy of Pediatrics Kyle Good – Scholastic Press Dr. Anne Zajicek – National Institute of Child Health and Human Development Erica Jefferson – FDA
6. Results (if any).
After the story aired, Singulair has been placed on a preliminary list of drugs requiring further study in children by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, which is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The list, called the "2010 — 11 BPCA Priority List of Needs in Pediatric Therapeutics" identifies drugs that could be causing problematic side-effects in children and is a starting point for government intervention.
7. Follow-up (if any). Have you run a correction or clarification on the report or has anyone come forward to challenge its accuracy? If so, please explain.
n/a
8. Advice to other journalists planning a similar story or project.
A lot of people are afraid to ask kids questions but I found it to be the most important part of this story. I asked each parent if it was ok for me to interview their kid — many said no. But Melissa Epperly, for instance, wanted to hear what her son would say. I made a very conscious effort not ask any leading questions or to give Willy the idea that there was a right answer. Instead, I said, "Do you remember when you were taking your pills?" After he said yes, I then asked, "What happened when you took the pills?" The answer he gave was probably the most powerful part of the story and took not only Melissa by surprise, but also all of the doctors I interviewed because they had never asked the kids themselves how they felt, thinking that they were too young or too naive to understand what was happening to them. I would also ask if there's any video. Some parents take video of their child's odd behavior to show their doctors and that video can make a story. I found the 10-k and 10-q filings for Merck to be very helpful because they put Singulair into real perspective within the drug company landscape. The filings showed Singulair is Merck's number one selling drug and the company has a lot to lose if kids, in particular, stop taking it. It is also worth taking the time to go through press releases listed on Merck's website because that's where you will find references to partnerships with kid-friendly organizations like Scholastic and grants to medical groups like the American Academy of Pediatrics.