Pharmaceuticals

Minnesota Doctors on Drug Company Drip

by Bob Burton — March 23, 2007 - 3:48am

An examination of records from Minnesota, where legislation requires drug company payments to doctors to be disclosed, reveals that between 1997 and 2005 over 5,500 medical professionals in the state were paid a total of over $57 million. Gardiner Harris and Janet Roberts report that "another $40 million went to clinics, research centers and other organizations. More than 20 percent of the state’s licensed physicians received money.

Main Source: 
New York Times, March 21, 2007

Weight-Loss Drug Told to Lose the Advertising

by Bob Burton — March 1, 2007 - 11:19pm

The Australian government's drug regulator has revoked Roche's permission to advertise its weight-loss drug, Xenical. It was originally approved as a prescription-only drug for those rating over 30 on the Body Mass Index (BMI), or 27 if other health conditions were present.

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Sydney Morning Herald, February 27, 2007

Industry Funding Skews Breast Cancer Research

by Diane Farsetta — February 28, 2007 - 6:29pm

As had previously been shown with "heart, stroke and bone marrow cancer research," a review by medical researchers found that "breast cancer studies funded by drug companies are more likely to yield positive findings than those without pharmaceutical industry backing." Researchers at the University of North Carolina "looked at 140 studies published in 2003, 1998 and 1993 in 10 medical journals on breast cancer therapies, nearly half of which were deemed to have had drug company involvement in the form of

Main Source: 
Reuters, February 26, 2007

Drug Gets a Cameo in a Film Backed by Its Maker

by John Stauber — February 21, 2007 - 9:49pm

Stephanie Saule reports that "Innerstate, a documentary about three people coping with disabling chronic illness, may be coming to a theater near you. If so, admission will be free, courtesy of the drug maker that produced the film. The 58-minute film ... is an unusual form of soft-pedal marketing of a blockbuster drug, Remicade. The documentary never specifically mentions Remicade, or the product’s maker, Centocor, a unit of Johnson & Johnson.

Main Source: 
New York Times, February 21, 2007

After Fevered Response, Merck Stops (Some) Vaccine Lobbying

by Diane Farsetta — February 21, 2007 - 4:21pm

The pharmaceutical company Merck, known for its aggressive marketing of the ill-fated drug Vioxx, will stop "lobbying state legislatures to require the use of its new cervical cancer vaccine," Gardasil.

Main Source: 
New York Times, February 21, 2007

WHO's Money?

by Bob Burton — February 21, 2007 - 3:06pm

The British Medical Journal reports that the director of the World Health Organization's (WHO's) department of mental health and substance abuse, Benedetto Saraceno, proposed in an e-mail that the European Parkinson's Disease Association accept a $10,000 grant from GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) and pass it on to the UN agency. WHO has a policy that it doesn't accept contributions from drug companies.

Main Source: 
British Medical Journal (sub req'd), February 17, 2007

Docs, Foundations Prescribe End to Pharma Marketing Payoffs

by Jonathan Rosenblum — February 19, 2007 - 12:33pm

A coalition of academics, advocates and foundations has called for strict limits on conflict-ridden, "direct-to-physician" marketing campaigns by pharmaceutical companies. A typical campaign provides free samples to doctors, accompanied by free lunches for office staff and doctors, while some also sponsor speaker's bureaus and provide gifts and junkets.

Main Source: 
The New York Times, February 12, 2007

Secrecy's Side Effects

by Bob Burton — February 17, 2007 - 4:24am

Richard Zitrin, a San Francisco-based lawyer who teaches at the University of California, warns that the willingness of lawyers to reach secret out-of-court agreements with drug companies can have dangerous consequences for patients.

Main Source: 
Los Angeles Times, February 8, 2007

Drug Company Funds Direct-To-Consumer Movie

by Diane Farsetta — February 16, 2007 - 1:58pm

Johnson & Johnson's biopharmaceutical unit, Centocor, "has developed a documentary film to serve as the centerpiece of a national campaign," reports O'Dwyer's. The movie, "Innerstate," follows "three patients living with chronic diseases like Crohn's disease, Rheumatoid arthritis, and psoriasis -- ailments for which Centocor markets treatments.

Main Source: 
O'Dwyer's PR Daily (sub req'd), February 15, 2007
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