Who will write the speeches?
18/11/09 13:51
This
past week, the New York Times reported that
a number of speeches on healthcare reform
by lawmakers were ghostwritten by
lobbyists.
In particular, lobbyists for the biotech company
Genentech, a subsidiary of drug company Roche, wrote
speeches for different lawmakers that showed up
word-for-word the same, or had substantial
similarities, in the Congressional Record -- though
the Genentech speeches for Republicans were
different from the ones for Democrats.
This should be no surprise. Ghostwriting for "key opinion leaders" is a modus operandi of drug companies. Although this has been brought to light many times by many people, Senator Charles Grassley's exposés this year have been notable.
It does, however, raise an interesting question for when, if ever, the U.S. government tries to regulate the pharmaceutical industry's manipulation of the medical literature: Who will write the speeches?
This should be no surprise. Ghostwriting for "key opinion leaders" is a modus operandi of drug companies. Although this has been brought to light many times by many people, Senator Charles Grassley's exposés this year have been notable.
It does, however, raise an interesting question for when, if ever, the U.S. government tries to regulate the pharmaceutical industry's manipulation of the medical literature: Who will write the speeches?
0 Comments
Publication planning in the NYT
12/08/09 20:20
Wyeth
has now been added to the list of pharmaceutical
companies on which there are excellent
documents showing
how they hire ghostwriters to produce scientific
papers to sell drugs. Cudos to the
New York Times and
PLoS Medicine.
Now here’s me as a broken record: Unfortunately, this
is not just a common activity: it is the norm.
Read
More...
Stossel's crusade for conflict of interest
06/08/09 14:55
From
http://www.insidehighered.com/news/2009/07/10/acre)
Thomas Stossel, the American Cancer Society Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, is spearheading a new nonprofit professional organization that is, according to Stossel's preliminary description, "to be a forum for what we believe is a hitherto silent majority of individuals engaged in clinical service, medical education and medical innovation ready to oppose a small but well organized and well-funded coterie responsible for an anti-industry movement.”
There’s nothing like those well-funded critics. Read More...
Thomas Stossel, the American Cancer Society Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School, is spearheading a new nonprofit professional organization that is, according to Stossel's preliminary description, "to be a forum for what we believe is a hitherto silent majority of individuals engaged in clinical service, medical education and medical innovation ready to oppose a small but well organized and well-funded coterie responsible for an anti-industry movement.”
There’s nothing like those well-funded critics. Read More...