Pharma news this week: dominance of pharma marches on in spite of tons of news about how crap it all is. How does that happen?

So much for those of us doing the sort of work this blog does. The dominance of pharma marches on.

More mental disorders treated with drugs only | Reuters

More Americans with psychiatric conditions are being treated with drugs alone compared with a decade ago, while “talk therapy” — either by itself or in combination with medication — is on the decline, a new study finds.

The implications of the trend, as well as its underlying causes, are not fully clear, according to researchers. But they say the findings indicate that outpatient mental health care in the U.S. is being redefined.

And pharma of course tries to exploit anyone in anyway they can:

A Date-Rape Drug for Fibromyalgia: How Could This Possibly Go Wrong? – BNET

For executives interested in risk management, Jazz’s attempt to persuade the feds that making GHB (pictured) available by prescription for fibromyalgia will be an interesting case study: Is there any way in which an inherently risky product with a spectacular history of consumer abuse can be made safe?

And now as a finale to this pharma news — a whole slew of articles slamming pharma in general — new drugs are in general no better than old ones and as we know the old psychotropics aren’t good to begin with.

• Five out of six new prescription drugs don’t work, doctor claims – Telegraph
• 85% of new drugs ‘offer few benefits’ – The Independent

• Pharmaceuticals: A market for producing ‘lemons’ and serious harm, analysis finds — Science Daily

• Drug companies accused of ‘conning’ the public – Telegraph