Monday, November 04, 2013

Did CBS Evening News "get it wrong" on Zephrex-D?


Last week, around November 1, CBS Evening News did a story titled New pill could solve Missouri's meth problem which included text:


Because of its pasty consistency, Zephrex-D can't be ground into powder, the first step in making meth. And the pseudoephedrine inside is so hard to extract, it would cost too much to illegally convert.

"Zephrex-D, no matter which way you try to convert it into methamphetamine, is not a viable solution for meth cooks," said Grellner.

(...)

Grellner said that tiny Highland Pharmaceuticals has succeeded at something the major drug manufacturers say can't be done: making a meth-proof drug that works. As of this month, Zephrex-D is available in 15,000 stores nationwide.






But CBS News didn't mention a story from Sept. 2013, which included text:


ST. LOUIS (AP) --
A cold and allergy decongestant made by a Missouri company and now being sold nationwide contains a new form of pseudoephedrine that's being billed as difficult to use to make methamphetamine. But the Drug Enforcement Administration is still refusing to allow it to be sold over the counter.

The DEA says government chemists were able to manufacture methamphetamine from the product. So like other products containing pseudoephedrine, Zephrex-D must be sold from behind the counter.



above text from DEA insists cold drug can be used in meth-making


The CBS Evening News story included the text


Into that epidemic stepped Linda Lewis, a lawyer representing Highland Pharmaceuticals, a 14-person operation just outside St. Louis.

"I looked at what I was seeing in my neighborhood and my community," said Lewis, "and I thought, ''Highland is a local business. Wouldn't it be great if a local business could help the community here?'"



Linda Lewis is believed to be a patent attorney with a degree from Western New England College School of Law .

0 Comments:

Post a Comment

<< Home