(June 17, 2008)—U.S. Sen. John Cornyn, R-Texas, called on the Veterans Administration Tuesday to investigate reports the VA is subjecting combat veterans to potentially harmful drug trials.

Cornyn made the request Tuesday in a letter to VA Secretary James Peake.

"Our wounded troops and veterans deserve the very best in care, but unfortunately, recent studies and incidents illustrate that some VA services have failed to live up to the standard of excellence that is expected,” Cornyn said in the letter.

“As a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, I will continue to work with my colleagues to ensure any negligence in the care of our troops and veterans is identified and properly addressed."

The Washington Times-ABC News investigation published Tuesday found that the government is testing drugs that can have such severe side effects as psychosis and suicidal behavior on hundreds of military veterans, and attracting test subjects with small cash payments.

One of the drugs involved is the anti-smoking medication Chantrix, which has been linked to hallucinations, psychotic behavior and suicide attempts.

In November, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said it had received reports of mood disorders and erratic behavior among patients taking Pfizer's prescription drug.

The FDA said it was still gathering information about Chantrix, but officials said they were advising doctors to monitor patients taking the drug closely for behavioral changes.

The Washington Times-ABC investigation found the VA and other federal agencies are currently involved in 25 studies that involve testing drugs on nearly 4,800 veterans, almost 2,500 of whom are just back from either Iraq or Afghanistan.

The investigation found that one National Institute of Mental Health study combines the use of virtual-reality with the drug D-Cycloserine, which is supposed to reduce fear.

The report says other studies involve test of drugs on veterans with PTSD including antidepressants that carry warnings of potential suicidal side effects.

An independent study released in April said about 300,000 U.S. troops are suffering from either major depression or post traumatic stress disorder from serving in the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

The study also found that 320,000 have brain injuries.

Only about half have sought treatment, according to the study by the RAND Corporation.

The 500-page study was the first large-scale, private assessment of its kind including a survey of 1,965 service members across the country, from all branches of the armed forces and including those still in the military as well as veterans who have left the service.

The researchers estimate that the cost of PTSD and depression among returning service members will cost the U.S. as much as $6.2 billion in the two years following deployment.

They said an investment in higher quality treatment could reduce the indirect costs by $2 billion.

Click Here For More Information on the RAND Study

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