The 10 Weirdest Drug Stories of the Month

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Bodysnatchers! Scorpions! Sex drugs! It all happened in May. Here are BNET’s 10 weirdest drug stories of the month:

Johnson & Johnson bought stolen body parts for research
Ernest V. Nelson, 51, cut up heads, torsos and other parts from donated corpses stolen from UCLA and sold them medical and pharmaceutical research companies, including J&J, collecting $1.5 million between 1999 and 2003.
That Lundbeck takeover of Elan? Never mind …
Irrational stock movement forces Lundbeck CFO to admit that even if he wanted to buy Elan he couldn’t raise the money.
FDA: Stop rubbing your children with testosterone gel!
It gives them “inappropriate enlargement of the penis or clitoris,” premature pubic hair, increased libido and aggressive behaviour if you do.
J&J close to launch of new sex drug — in Korea
Dapoxetine, branded Priligy, is for premature ejaculation. Korean FDA is considering it. Possible H2 launch.
Scorpion sting sufferers, your plight is near an end
Arizonans plagued by a German heavy metal band poisonous arachnids hope Mexico’s Anascorp antivenom may one day be approved for use in the U.S.
Arriba County jail gave out antipsychotics like candy
One third of inmates on Seroquel et al. It kept them nice ‘n’ sleepy, said the jail’s doc. “Jerry said some of the best drugs he ever got were in that Jail,” says family of inmate who ODed on Rx meds.
Poor women skimp on breast cancer drugs even though they’re free
Sociological mystery: Four in 10 skip their meds, a survey says, even when government foots the bill.
Shire finds cure for annoying children
At long bloody last! Experimental drug Intuniv significantly lowered defiant, angry behavior in children with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder.
One congressman’s lonely fight against erectile dysfunction ads
Parents are sick of their kids asking, “Daddy, what does that mean?” when Viagra ads come on during sports programming. A new law will end the carnage.
Chavez threatens takeover of Pfizer plant; Pfizer capitulates
Pfizer wanted to close its Venezuelan factory. Chavez’s men said they’d take over the place because it produces essential medicines for Venezuela. So Pfizer execs met with Chavez officials to “reiterate their commitment” to keeping the place open.

Tags: Johnson & Johnson, Pfizer Inc., Chavez, Federal Government, Government, Gender And Diversity, Human Resources, Jim Edwards

Jim Edwards, a former managing editor of Adweek, has covered drug marketing at Brandweek for four years, and is a former Knight-Bagehot fellow at Columbia University's business and journalism schools. Follow him on Twitter or send him an email.