drugs

Saturday, November 24, 2012

Economy/Business News Alert

Can drug research still be trusted?  (of course not...)

Arguably the most prestigious medical journal in the world, the New England Journal of Medicine regularly features articles over which pharmaceutical companies and their employees can exert significant influence, a Washington Post investigation has found.
Over a year-long period ending in August, about two-thirds of the articles on new drugs published in the Journal were co-written by employees of the companies that made the drugs, a Post analysis has found.
The Journal's reliance on industry research, despite notable examples of potentially lethal bias, reflects the ability of pharmaceutical companies to shape science and influence what doctors prescribe for their patients.
Read more at:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/business/economy/as-drug-industrys-influence-over-research-grows-so-does-the-potential-for-bias/2012/11/24/bb64d596-1264-11e2-be82-c3411b7680a9_story.html

ASTREIA'S NOTE: I've know this for many many years, having used statistical and policy analysis in assessing health care issues. If you have such interests, please read the whole article. Otherwise I will quote below and after that summarize in my own words what happens - and how they got away with it.