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Article Source: Scoop"Drug companies frequently hire outside firms to draft a manuscript touting a company's drug, retain a physician to sign off as the author and then find a publisher to unwittingly publish the work," the Associated Press said on August 19, 2009. "Drug company salespeople often (rep)present medical journal articles to physicians as 'independent' proof that their drugs are safe and effective."
Glaxo is currently the defendant in lawsuits claiming Paxil caused Birth Defects in over 600 cases.
“They may come from one of the big named universities like Princeton or whoever, but the actual fact the person who appears to be the author isn't the true author,” he said. “If you were to read the article, you often don't get any hints of who the true author of the article actually was.”
Ghostwriting impacts doctors in the real world trying to make decisions on whether to prescribe a drug in several ways, Healy told the jury. For instance, he said, if he was doing his own writing, he “would write an article on the drug, warts and all.”
“But if the article has been written by a ghostwriter working for one of the pharmaceutical companies,” he said, “the chances are the warts are somehow going to vanish.”
“The article will talk about the good aspects of the drug and will leave out the risky issues which are probably the most important things for the practicing doctor to know,” he explained.
Marketing & press releases don't make it science. Regardless who writes it.
#1 - Thu Mar 4, 2010 3:26 PM ESTI wish more of the general public knew this. In the past 15 years working in the health care field, I have seen alot of drugs come onto the market and alot be pulled from the market. I can't tell you how many times I have sat in a drug rep lunch and listened to them pitch their companies new med. The funny thing is, the looks on their faces when they are reading those articles out loud and the Doctor who has actually done their homework bucks what they have to say.
The sad thing is the person pitching this drug, has a degree in Arts or whatever, not applied sciences. I am not saying they are dumb, but let's face it they are getting paid good money, therefore they are bias.
The worst thing is, the amount of physicians I have worked with that have not done their own homework and readily hand out a new med like candy. Happens all the time!!!!
The only advice I have for anyone reading this, educate yourself on what you are putting in your body. Every drug has a downside, question is, are you willing to assume those risks ?
It's hard enough explaining to a patient why it is important to know the name of their medication, which often is " I don't know, it's a little blue pill'. To be misinformed, and I use that term lightly, from the get go, is down right criminal !!!
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