Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Influence of the pharmaeutical industry

I have to say that this has always interested me, and so my eye was caught by these:

Commercial influence and the content of medical journals, in the BMJ. Does commercial bias affect the editors of medical journals and help them decide what to include?

Hans Hoogervorst, the Dutch health minister, has ordered an enquiry into the claim of a book that the drug industry influences the content of clinical guidelines.
The BMJ reports this. The book is by Joop Bouma and is called "Slikken: hoe ziek is de farmaceutische industrie?" ("Taking one's medicine: how sick is the pharmaceutical industry", is the BMJ's translation - Slikken is "to swallow"). There is a bit of information about the book on the Scheltema website (online arm of Amsterdam bookshop).

Meanwhile, an article in the AMA's ethics journal, according to the BMJ, is arguing that drug companies funding of CME should end, as it influences prescribing habits.

Finally, Joe Collier's Analysis and comment article in the BMJ, called "The price of independence". Joe Collier was editor of the Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin.

No comments: