MedWorm provides a medical RSS filtering service. Over 6000 RSS medical sources are combined and output via different filters. This feed contains the latest medical blog items that have been tagged with 'ghostwriting'. Sat, 03 Sep 2011 02:10:00 +0100 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5118996&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FequA6vD2My8%2F For nearly 11 years, Linda Logdberg, a biologist at the Fernbank Science Center in Atlanta, toiled as a writer for a variety of medical communications firms. Often, she never saw the finished product. There were slide kits, monographs, executive summaries, video and audio scripts, and continuing medical education programs. Although ghostwriting was a small, but real, part of her duties, she generally saw herself as a highly paid technician and did not question its ethics, she writes in PLoS Medicine. But as time went on, the would-be academic adopted a different view. At first, though, Logdberg enjoyed the work. “First, I believed that I was helping people: sick people need drugs, and physicians need to know about those drugs to prescribe them appropriately. Second, I had young chil... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5118996 Wed, 10 Aug 2011 14:35:44 +0100 5118996 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=5107891&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FGVab88opJB4%2F The ongoing controversy over ghostwriting appears to be accelerating amid ongoing disclosures that various papers - and in one case, a book - were allegedly written or largely crafted by paid editors who were not credited. The issue has even generated debate about the definition of ghostwriting, but meanwhile, has embroiled various drugmakers, universities and high-profile academics in scandal. To find a solution, a growing number of proposals are popping up (read this). One pair of academics - Jonathan Leo, a professor at the DeBusk College of Osteopathic Medicine at Lincoln Memorial University, and Jeff Lacasse a professor at the Center for Applied Behavioral Health Policy at Arizona State University - have just published a paper in Society in which they suggest that all authors should b... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=5107891 Tue, 09 Aug 2011 13:42:15 +0100 5107891 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4992994&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FQp-xlA4Oic4%2F Few topics are more contentious than ghostwriting - the mysterious practice in which an article lands in a medical journal with the names of various authors who, as it turns out, had little or nothing to do with the substance of the publication. The issue has caused several scandals for several drugmakers and medical journals, causing embarrassment and turmoil. However, keeping track can be difficult. So the Project On Government Oversight, a watchdog group that regularly probes the topic, has compiled a handy primer on recent episodes (read here, here, here, here and here), as well as the steps taken by various universities and government agencies to cope with the problem. In case you were wondering, though, allegations have been reported for the following journals: The American Journal ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4992994 Fri, 01 Jul 2011 12:30:53 +0100 4992994 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4775601&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FEBgixMvO-Qc%2F Back in 2001, the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry published a paper concluding the Paxil antidepressant was “generally well tolerated and effective for major depression in adolescents.” But the study, known as 329, was later discredited amid charges that outcomes were conflated, unflattering results were omitted and ghostwriting was involved. The details became known more than two years ago as documents emerged from investigations by UK regulators (look here) and the former New York Attorney General (read this), as well as lawsuits charging GlaxoSmithKline hid the risks of its Paxil pill. More recently, there was a call for the paper to be retracted (read here). One of the 22 co-authors was Stan Kutcher, a physician who is running for the Canadian par... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4775601 Mon, 02 May 2011 14:49:06 +0100 4775601 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4704956&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FPhLfP23_6gY%2F File this under The Case of The Missing Book. When last seen, Scientific Therapeutics Information was at the center of an ongoing controversy over an allegedly ghostwritten book - yes, an entire book - that was published in 1999 by the American Psychiatric Association. Funding came from a grant provided by SmithKline Beecham, which is now part of GlaxoSmithKline (back story). The listed co-authors were Charles Nemeroff, who chairs the psychiatry department at the University of Miami medical school, and Alan Schatzberg, who until recently chaired the psychiatry department at the Stanford University School of Medicine. Both men were at the center of a long-running probe by the US Senate Finance Committee into undisclosed conflicts of interest among academic researchers. They were also regul... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4704956 Tue, 12 Apr 2011 12:13:27 +0100 4704956 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4676731&cid=t_115474_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2011%2F04%2Fwho-you-gonna-believe.html WHO YOU GONNA BELIEVE? Ghostwriting Charges and Stonewalling at the American Psychiatric Association The American Psychiatric Association came under a searchlight this past December over allegations of ghostwriting. The story originated with a public letter from Project on Government Oversight (POGO) to the Director of NIH, and it was picked up by Duff Wilson writing in the New York Times. The book was Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care. The named authors were Charles Nemeroff, now chairman of psychiatry at the University of Miami, and Alan Schatzberg, formerly chairman of psychiatry at Stanford University. Both are well known for ethical controversy – see here and here. Soon, these allegations were being dissected in the bl... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4676731 Tue, 05 Apr 2011 04:44:00 +0100 4676731 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4536449&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FaNhChVFA2s4%2F Last November, a watchdog group sent a letter to Francis Collins, who heads the National Institutes of Health, about four instances in which academics who received federal grants also used a ghostwriting firm to help publish studies, letters and even a book (back story). The missive was sent in hopes of encouraging the NIH to get tough on ghostwriting, an issue that has also plagued several drugmakers (see here, here and here). Shortly afterwards, Collins confessed at being stunned that ghostwriting took place. “I was shocked by that revelation - that people would allow their names to be used on articles they did not write, that were written for them, particularly by companies that have something to gain by the way the data is presented….If we want to have the integrity of science ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4536449 Wed, 02 Mar 2011 13:37:44 +0100 4536449 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4433328&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FEuvNbSXJ-dI%2F Concerned about the influence advertising may have on physicians, an Australian medical journal will no longer accept paid ads about prescription drugs and has called on other journals to take the same stand. The ads could “change the prescribing practices of doctors”, wrote editors George Jelinek and Anthony Brown wrote in an editorial. “It is time to show leadership and make a stand, and medical journals have a critical role to play in this. At Emergency Medicine Australasia, we have, therefore, drawn a line in the sand and have stopped all drug advertising forthwith. We invite other journals to show their support and follow suit by declaring their hand and doing the same.” The ban followed discussions with other emergency medicine specialists, who worried aloud t... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4433328 Thu, 03 Feb 2011 13:59:40 +0100 4433328 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4219791&cid=t_115474_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2010%2F12%2F01%2Fnemeroff-schatzberg-lend-names-to-ghostwritten-textbook%2F According to the Project On Government Oversight (POGO) and The New York Times, Dr. Charles B. Nemeroff, chairman of psychiatry at the University of Miami medical school since 2009 and Emory University before that, and Dr. Alan F. Schatzberg, the chairman of psychiatry at the Stanford University School of Medicine from 1991 until 2009 co-wrote a psychiatric textbook intended for primary care physicians — or did they? The book, Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care, has their names on it. But according to documents unearthed by the Project on Government Oversight, a Washington advocacy group, it was allegedly actually ghostwritten — at least in part — by a company called Scientific Therapeutics Information, Inc. ... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4219791 Wed, 01 Dec 2010 12:23:58 +0100 4219791 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4214484&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FKbQkUHfA3xs%2F When is a book written independently by an author and when might it be a marketing message under the guise of an unrestricted grant? Take the example of “Recognition and Treatment of Psychiatric Disorders: A Psychopharmacology Handbook for Primary Care,” which was published in 1999 with a grant provided by SmithKline Beecham, now part of GlaxoSmithKline. However, the grant paid for Scientific Therapeutics Information, which is based in Springfield, NJ, to develop an entire content outline and text for the authors. STI, which has been targeted previously by the US Senate Finance Committee over ghostwriting activities (see here). STI also provided drafts directly to the drugmaker for comments and sign-off, as well as status reports and page proofs to the credited authors. John Romankiewi... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4214484 Tue, 30 Nov 2010 13:12:42 +0100 4214484 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4200563&cid=t_115474_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fplaying-doctor-profile-of-a-medical-ghostwriter%2F2010.11.24 Dr. Carl Elliott writes about ghostwriting in the December issue of The Atlantic magazine, “Playing Doctor: How to spin pharmaceutical research.” He profiles a young scientist (“David”) who became a ghostwriter about 10 years ago. Excerpts: “Ghostwritten articles surface again and again in litigation (in cases concerning Vioxx, Fen-Phen, Zyprexa, Premarin, Neurontin, and Zoloft, to mention just a few). Years before the Avandia scandal, GlaxoSmithKline paid $2.5 million to the State of New York to settle a lawsuit alleging that it had concealed studies suggesting an increased risk of suicidal behavior in children and teenagers taking Paxil, most notoriously in an article “authored” by Dr. Martin Keller of Brown University. One 2003 study in The Brit... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4200563 Wed, 24 Nov 2010 23:00:19 +0100 4200563 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=4118936&cid=t_115474_87_f&fid=39187&url=http%3A%2F%2Fgetbetterhealth.com%2Fthe-impact-of-drug-marketing-on-medical-care%2F2010.10.28 In my group practice, the Yale Medical Group, drug company-sponsored lunches and similar events have been banned. This is part of a trend, at least within academic medicine, to create some distance between physicians and pharmaceutical companies, or at least their marketing divisions. The justifications for this are several, and are all reasonable. One reason is the appearance of being too cozy, which compromises the role of academic physicians as independent experts. But the primary reason is the belief that “detailing” by pharmaceutical sales representatives has a negative effect on the prescribing habits of physicians. There is reason to believe this may be the case because of cases of bad behavior on the part of pharmaceutical marketing divisions — ghost writing white papers,... Better Health blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=4118936 Thu, 28 Oct 2010 12:00:50 +0100 4118936 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3946686&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F4i0SspxzFd4%2F Two years ago, an investigation disclosed that Wyeth used a ghostwriting firm to generate material used to promote its hormone replacement therapies. By then, of course, the meds were linked to breast cancer in the 2002 Women’s Health Initative study. But the disclosure prompted a US Senate probe and has since been widely cited as an instance in which pharmaceutical marketing corrupted the process by which legitimate medical info is supposed to be disseminated (background). But just how extensive was the Wyeth ghostwriting? Well, between 1997 and 2003, a firm hired by Wyeth called DesignWrite generated more than 50 peer-reviewed publications, more than 50 scientific abstracts and posters, journal supplements, internal white papers, slide kits, and symposia to promote its Premarin and... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3946686 Wed, 08 Sep 2010 12:54:17 +0100 3946686 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3929454&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FQuR3pp4IJdg%2F Did the American Heart Association’s Circulation journal publish a ghostwritten article about Avandia? There has been disagreement about this ever since the US Senate Finance Committee released a report in July about the controversy concerning the GlaxoSmithKline diabetes pill. Glaxo, you may recall, once ran a program aptly named Cassper, or Case Study Publications for Peer Review, which was designed to assist researchers with their articles. At the time, the committee sent a wad of documents to the FDA that contained emails and drafts of different manuscripts. One appeared slated for the American Journal of Cardiology and the lead author was Baylor College’s Steve Haffner (see this). Also included was a draft manuscript of a study destined for Circulation (see attachments H a... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3929454 Thu, 02 Sep 2010 19:55:48 +0100 3929454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3925084&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FHa5z-LE_Be8%2F After a decade of running one of the world’s most prestigious medical journals, Catherine DeAngelis is leaving her job as editor-in-chief of the Journal of the American Medical Association next year to join Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, where she will develop a Center for Professionalism in Medicine and the Related Professions, including nursing, public health, business and law. “This program, based in ethical professional conduct, will be a culmination of education, training and experience. It is the logical next step for me based back in my academic home,” DeAngelis says in a statement, which notes she was vice dean for Academic Affairs and Faculty at Hopkins School of Medicine before going to JAMA and is a professor of pediatrics there. During her te... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3925084 Wed, 01 Sep 2010 22:45:53 +0100 3925084 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3750270&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Fmsw9KHkkWUs%2F This article was not part of the Case Study Publication for Peer Review programme, which was discontinued for rosiglitazone in 2004 and produced only two articles.” [Our thought: How is 'substantial contribution' defined. And given the e-mail, the impression runs to the contrary]. (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3750270 Tue, 13 Jul 2010 15:06:40 +0100 3750270 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3706998&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FfJG8TguUd3s%2F As the National Institutes of Health readies new conflict of interest rules governing interactions between academic researchers and drugmakers, US Senator Chuck Grassley has released a report he believes should convince the agency to incorpoate a tougher stance toward ghostwriting in its forthcoming policy. At issue is the notion that ghostwritten articles unfairly influence physicians and their approach to practicing medicine. “The NIH ought to ensure that the final rule defines the term ’significant financial interest’ to include pharmaceutical and device company financing and/or other material contribution or support to develop medical literature, including but not limited to conceiving and designing the underlying paper, collecting and/or analyzing the data, and draft... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3706998 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 11:53:14 +0100 3706998 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3703094&cid=t_115474_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fghostwriting-in-medical-literature.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3703094 Mon, 28 Jun 2010 03:54:00 +0100 3703094 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3690910&cid=t_115474_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Flatest-issue-of-bioethics-journal.html The current issue of the journal Bioethics focuses on the problem of ghostwriting in the medical literature and is well worth a read. At this point, the main three articles on the topic appear to be free (at least I was able to gain full text access today, and I have no subscription to the journal.)The first article, by Tobenna D. Anekwe at Harvard School of Public Health, argues that ghostwriting is in fact a form of plagiarism. While ghostwriting is sometimes called "honorary authorship" in order to make it seem acceptable, Anekwe makes the following interesting point:"Yet honorary authorship is a form of plagiarismbecause it entails claiming authorship for work thatwas done by others. The twist is that, here, the corporation(the willing ‘victim’ of plagiarism) actually wants thescie... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3690910 Wed, 23 Jun 2010 09:22:00 +0100 3690910 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3672030&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=34889&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmamkting.blogspot.com%2F2010%2F06%2Fare-docs-being-banished-from-pharmas.html "It is a breathtaking sweep to squash something that is really important to us, the science going on in the private sector," said Francis Collins, director of the National Institutes of Health, at a meeting in Bethesda, Md. At issue is a decision by the American Heart Association (AHA) to ban pharmaceutical industry employees from making medical education presentations later this year at the AHA's annual scientific sessions (see "Drug firms banished from medical talks")."The policy is blood-curdling," said Keith Yamamoto, executive vice dean of the University of California, San Francisco School of Medicine. "This is conflict-of-interest considerations run amok."Wow! It's as if physicians were banished from an Eden where they enjoyed the fruits of the tree of knowledge made accessible by th... Pharma Marketing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3672030 Thu, 17 Jun 2010 12:05:00 +0100 3672030 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3236089&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FeG3njRML8vI%2F Only 13 of the top 50 medical schools in the US have a clear policy that prohibits ghostwriting, according to a survey published in PLoS Medicine. The argument goes that ghostwriting hurts patients and raises costs for taxpayers, because prestigious academic names are used to promote drugs that might be expensive or less effective than alternatives. The issue has gotten a lot of traction lately - the Senate Finance Committee asked med schools about their policies (see here and here) and Wyeth and Merck have gotten bad press over the practice. The survey found “that 10 schools explicitly prohibit ghostwriting and seven include some definition of ghostwriting in their policy, while three prohibit ghostwriting without defining the term. And 13 schools have an authorship policy that does... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3236089 Tue, 02 Feb 2010 17:48:21 +0100 3236089 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3216841&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FnVIz0q18SZE%2F You’ve heard of evidence-based medicine. Well, a new paper summarizes a panalopy of practices employed over the past two decades or so - ghostwriting, suppressing or spinning data, disease mongering and managing side effect perceptions among docs - that the authors call marketing-based medicine. And they rely on internal documents from litigation - such as the much-publicized lawsuits over antipsychotics and antidepressants - to illustrate their point. “While much excitement has been generated surrounding evidence-based medicine, internal documents from the pharmaceutical industry suggest that the publicly available evidence base may not accurately represent the underlying data regarding its products,” they write in Bioethical Inquiry (see here). “We propose that wh... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3216841 Thu, 28 Jan 2010 13:07:23 +0100 3216841 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3092763&cid=t_115474_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fthoughts-on-ghostwriting.html There has been a lively and thoughtful discussion about ghostwriting in the comments section of my post on BlueSpark’s invitation to a doctor to write a review article on bupropion and depression. Here are some of the issues that have come up. 1. What’s in a name? Michael Altus has been tenacious in his efforts to educate us in the still evolving vocabulary of this business. “Ghostwriter”= A person who writes or otherwise assists in presenting the author's work without being acknowledged. “Ghost author” = Identical to a ghostwriter. “Guest author” = A person who is listed as an author without having made substantial contributions. This is what has also been called “identified author,” or “named author.” Beyond this, there are ac... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3092763 Wed, 16 Dec 2009 14:27:00 +0100 3092763 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3089550&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2Ftpw73SxR_xQ%2F The controversy over conflicts of interest is taking a twist as a former Merck executive and a medical journal are teaming up to lash out at doctors who have criticized drugmaker behavior in published studies, and have also served as expert witnesses in product-liability litigation. To wit, Laurence Hirsch, a former vice president of medical communications at Merck, published a lengthy essay in a recent issue of Mayo Clinical Proceedings in which he lambasted the doctors and the journals that published their work for “selective and incomplete” disclosure. He points to Yale University professor of medicine Harlan Krumholz, who has reportedly been paid $200,000 while working for attorneys who are suing Merck, and David Egilman, a clinical associate professor of family medicine at... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3089550 Tue, 15 Dec 2009 14:32:52 +0100 3089550 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3061454&cid=t_115474_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F12%2Fsubject-invitation-to-author-review.html Here is an email sent to one of my psychiatrist colleagues by BlueSpark, a medical communications company working under contract for the drug company sanofi-aventis. Read it, and decide whether you think this is a solicitation to become a ghost author. Subject: Invitation to Author a Review ArticleDate: Dec 2009Dear Dr. XXXXXXX,I hope this note finds you well. My name is Jonathan Wert, MD, and I am a medical director at BlueSpark Healthcare Communications, a medical communications company located in northern New Jersey. I was given your contact information by Dr. YYYYYYY , who spoke very highly of you.I am writing to you on behalf of sanofi-aventis, which has authorized us to facilitate publication of an MDD/Bupropion-focused review article. We feel that your input on a multitude of topics... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3061454 Sun, 06 Dec 2009 12:06:00 +0100 3061454 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3056880&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FZ8q9LFkWGiQ%2F The ghostwriting controversy that has embroiled drugmakers (see here and here) is threatening to engulf universities, some of which are already under the microscope for failing to manage conflicts of interest involving academic researcheres. Now Yale University’s School of Medicine is issuing a reminder to its faculty to avoid the practice. The step comes shortly after the Senate Finance Committee, which has spearheaded numerous investigations into the drug and device industries, wrote 10 top medical schools to ask what they’re doing about the issue. The schools contacted also include Harvard, Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania, Washington University, University of California at San Francisco, Duke, Stanford, University of Washington and Columbia (back story). Here’s w... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3056880 Fri, 04 Dec 2009 13:58:27 +0100 3056880 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3012612&cid=t_115474_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fnhs-goes-after-american-website-over.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3012612 Fri, 20 Nov 2009 15:56:00 +0100 3012612 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=3004085&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeedproxy.google.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2FMxO3b2oIN30%2F This is the thinking - if a college student submits a paper written by someone else, it’s considered plagiarism. But what is it called when an academic researcher submits a journal study that was written, shaped or heavily edited by a medical communications firm? Grassley contends there is little or no difference. And so the Iowa Republican, who sits on the Senate Finance Committee and has spearheaded numerous investigations into the drug and device industries, has written 10 top medical schools to ask what they’re doing about the issue, The New York Times reports. The schools contacted: Harvard, Johns Hopkins, University of Pennsylvania, Washington University, University of California at San Francisco, Duke, Stanford, University of Washington, Yale and Columbia. In explaining ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=3004085 Wed, 18 Nov 2009 14:29:28 +0100 3004085 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2992833&cid=t_115474_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F11%2Fpharmaceutical-research-and.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2992833 Sat, 14 Nov 2009 01:32:00 +0100 2992833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2883202&cid=t_115474_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F10%2Fpharmalot-flashback-nemeroff-removed-as.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2883202 Mon, 12 Oct 2009 00:39:00 +0100 2883202 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2730339&cid=t_115474_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fmindfreedom-gets-national-news-coverage.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2730339 Mon, 24 Aug 2009 18:02:00 +0100 2730339 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2725246&cid=t_115474_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2F1500-ghostwriting-documents-available.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2725246 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 17:36:00 +0100 2725246 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2725264&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=34889&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmamkting.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fsenator-grassley-sees-pharma-ghost.html The New York Times recently reported (see here): "A growing body of evidence suggests that doctors at some of the nation's top medical schools have been attaching their names and lending their reputations to scientific papers that were drafted by ghostwriters working for drug companies -- articles that were carefully calibrated to help the manufacturers sell more products."Senator Charles E. Grassley, an Iowa Republican who has led a long-running investigation of conflicts of interest in medicine, is starting to put pressure on the National Institutes of Health to crack down on the practice."Meanwhile, fellow pharma blogger Rich Meyer, doesn't see things that way. "Medical journal articles sponsored by drug companies are part of marketing," says Meyer. "That is a fact of a capitalist busin... Pharma Marketing Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2725264 Fri, 21 Aug 2009 12:14:00 +0100 2725264 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2786006&cid=t_115474_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fghostwriting-stays-in-spotlight.html With Natasha Singer's article on ghostwriting appearing in the Health section of today's New York Times, this underhanded method of drug promotion is in the public spotlight as never before. And Minh Uong's graphic accompanying the article, which I reproduced above, is nothing short of brilliant. As the illustration implies, medical ghostwriting leaches out the confidence we have in the authenticity of medical research, because the articles are conceived and written by drug company marketers and their surrogates. But when they are published in the top journals, they look like serious reports of medical science, complete with the names of prestigious doctors who are dubbed "authors."After you read the New York Times article, I suggest you read this very clever article by William Heisel, a t... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2786006 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 16:54:00 +0100 2786006 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712336&cid=t_115474_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fsenator-grassley-takes-on-ghostwriting.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712336 Wed, 19 Aug 2009 09:41:00 +0100 2712336 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2712338&cid=t_115474_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fhonesty-on-rocks-and-make-it-double.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2712338 Tue, 18 Aug 2009 17:09:00 +0100 2712338 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2678625&cid=t_115474_87_f&fid=34765&url=http%3A%2F%2Fhcrenewal.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fhas-ghostwriting-infected-experts-with.html I could have titled this piece "have the deceivers been themselves deceived?"Recent revelations have shown that biomedical ghostwriting is a scourge that some physicians and scientists -- who are clearly lacking ethics, insight and perhaps an understanding of psychiatric defense mechanisms such as rationalization -- engage in all too often, as it taints the corpus of worldwide scientific literature.(I covered the issues related to ethical and justified claims of provenance for scientific writing in my post "Wyeth: Ghostwritten Papers Fake, But Accurate" here along with a discussion of why lay leadership of biomedical R&D organizations was not a good idea. Such leaders cannot vouch for the scientific fairness and accuracy emanating from their own organizations.)One should examine the ev... Health Care Renewal blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2678625 Thu, 06 Aug 2009 15:00:00 +0100 2678625 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2674472&cid=t_115474_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fthere-is-no-doubt-that-medical-journals.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2674472 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 16:40:00 +0100 2674472 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2786010&cid=t_115474_109_f&fid=38951&url=http%3A%2F%2Fcarlatpsychiatry.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fghostwriting-for-premarin-steroids-on.html Today's New York Times reveals the not particularly astonishing fact that Wyeth Pharmaceuticals engaged a medical writing company to produce 26 articles pushing Premarin as Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) in women from 1998-2005. The articles were outlined and written by writers employed by Design Write, and then were sent to top academics in the Ob/Gyn field, who reviewed them, rubber stamped them with occasionally minor edits, and submitted them to journals under their names. In no case was Wyeth's involvement in funding the articles disclosed. We've heard this sordid tale before. Last year, an article in JAMA revealed that Merck commissioned ghostwriters to produce dozens of articles pushing Vioxx (see the NY Times coverage here--you'd need a subscription to JAMA to read the original ... The Carlat Psychiatry Blog blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2786010 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 12:15:00 +0100 2786010 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2671067&cid=t_115474_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Fwyeth-this-just-pisses-me-off-stop.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2671067 Wed, 05 Aug 2009 05:00:00 +0100 2671067 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2671068&cid=t_115474_140_f&fid=35439&url=http%3A%2F%2Fbipolarsoupkitchen-stephany.blogspot.com%2F2009%2F08%2Flilly-wrote-journal-studies-ask-doctors.html (Source: soulful sepulcher) soulful sepulcher blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2671068 Tue, 04 Aug 2009 23:06:00 +0100 2671068 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2056344&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F490526529%2F Elsevier is investigating the widely publicized allegation by the US Senate Finance Committee that one of its journals published an article on hormone replacement therapy that was improperly ghostwritten by Wyeth, which was promoting its Prempro med, The New York Times writes. Earlier this month, Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the committee, raised questions about the May 2003 “Editors’ Choice” article in The American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology. The article, signed by John Eden, an associate professor at the University of New South Wales, was among articles Grassley cited that were favorable to Wyeth drugs (back story). Grassley charged Wyeth commissioned the articles and had them ghostwritten by a medical writing firm called DesignWrite, but only aft... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2056344 Sun, 21 Dec 2008 14:19:49 +0100 2056344 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2035600&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=34768&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmagossip.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F12%2Fwyeth-prempro-ghostwriters-in-grassleys.html Wyeth, the pharmaceutical company, paid ghostwriters to produce medical journal articles favorable to its hormone replacement therapy Prempro, according to Congressional letters seeking more information about the company’s involvement in medical ghostwriting.More at the NYT (Source: PharmaGossip) PharmaGossip blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2035600 Sat, 13 Dec 2008 11:14:00 +0100 2035600 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=2035944&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F482979954%2F Wyeth paid ghostwriters to produce medical journal articles favorable to its Prempro hormone replacement therapy, according to Congressional letters seeking more info about the drugmaker’s involvement in medical ghostwriting, The New York Times reports, adding that at least one article was published even after a federal study found the drug raised the risk of breast cancer. The letters, sent electronically today by Chuck Grassley, the ranking Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, asks Wyeth and DesignWrite, a medical writing firm, to disclose payments related to the preparation of journal articles and the activities of doctors who were recruited to put their names on them for publication, the Times writes. “Any attempt to manipulate the scientific literature, that can in turn mis... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=2035944 Fri, 12 Dec 2008 19:50:02 +0100 2035944 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1475161&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=34768&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmagossip.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F05%2Fgsk-seroxat-paxil-study-329-dissected.html GlaxoSmithKline’s Study 329 of medication for adolescent depression failed to demonstrate any benefit for paroxetine over placebo in adolescents and demonstrated a worrying profile of adverse events for paroxetine.The study was ultimately published in 2001 by the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry with Keller as the primary author. This misleading paper has been a focus of interest for Healthy Skepticism since 2002. In 2003 they wrote to the Editor of JAACAP raising concerns about the misleading reporting by the authors that exaggerated benefit and downplayed adverse effects. (They also questioned editorial functioning, which drew an angry response from the Editor).In 2004 CMAJ published an Editorial which showed that in 1998 an internal GSK document clear... PharmaGossip blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1475161 Thu, 29 May 2008 04:34:00 +0100 1475161 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1407331&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F280112804%2F Back in 2001, an infamous study was published in the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry that declared Glaxo’s Paxil antidepressant - called Seroxat in the UK - was “generally well tolerated and effective for major depression in adolescents.” Known as study 329, the findings were used to widely promote the drug, which became a huge seller. Of course, the study was later held in disrepute after it was learned the results didn’t tell the whole story. In fact, 329 was one of three studies cited by former New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer, who filed a suit charging Glaxo with “repeated and persistent fraud,” alleging the drugmaker had promoted positive findings, but hadn’t publicized unfavorable data (back story). As it tur... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1407331 Tue, 29 Apr 2008 14:10:22 +0100 1407331 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1399360&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F277727510%2F The corrosive scandal over ghostwriting is causing great debate and handwringing. You may recall that an examination of medical journal articles about Vioxx and court documents from Vioxx lawsuits found that Merck employees or ghostwriters were frequently involved in various articles, but the primary authors were often academics who actually had little to do with the studies or didn’t always disclose financial ties to Merck. We asked Art Caplan, who heads the BioEthics Center at the University of Pennsylvania, what authors ought to know and do. Pharmalot: A lot of the controversy has focused on drugmakers, medical journals and ghostwriting firms. What about the individual doctors or academics? Caplan: The issue is what’s the appropriate role, if any, for third writing help. I would... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1399360 Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:49:30 +0100 1399360 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1380521&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=34768&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmagossip.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fstar-ledger-on-triumph-of-marketing.html Of all the black eyes the Merck pharmaceutical company has inflicted upon itself, the biggest shiner yet may come from new allegations in the current Journal of the American Medical Association. Two JAMA articles say Merck misrepresented the death risks in one study and routinely stuck the names of top researchers onto ghostwritten scientific reports. Once again, at the center of Merck's mess is Vioxx, the painkiller Merck withdrew from the market after finally acknowledging a cardiovascular risk for those taking the top-selling drug. Documents related to the thousands of Vioxx lawsuits were reviewed by experts, who published their results in JAMA. They paint a damning picture of a company willing to buy the science required to support its marketing plans. In fact, one JAMA article says Me... PharmaGossip blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1380521 Fri, 18 Apr 2008 05:48:00 +0100 1380521 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1377953&cid=t_115474_109_f&fid=34750&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpsychcentral.com%2Fblog%2Farchives%2F2008%2F04%2F16%2Fcan-you-trust-the-research-not-always%2F For everyone who trumpets the invincibility of peer-reviewed research, here’s another nail in the coffin… Research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association today described how multiple Vioxx studies were ghostwritten for the researchers by, yes, you guessed it, Merck & Co.-paid writers. Researchers were welcomed to edit or change the writing, but not all researchers did. And at the end of the day, it’s not really the same thing as composing the prose yourself, is it? Sadly, Merck is claiming this is a widespread, accepted practice within the industry: A Merck legal spokesman said the company sometimes uses outside companies to draft articles that summarize research on its drugs. “That’s a common evolving practice in the industry,&#... World of Psychology blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1377953 Thu, 17 Apr 2008 02:25:54 +0100 1377953 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1376875&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F271421068%2F Grab your laptop and hitch your wagon. The time has come to find those marquee names who can put your paper over the top. (Source: Pharmalot) Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1376875 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 13:19:19 +0100 1376875 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1375077&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=34768&url=http%3A%2F%2Fpharmagossip.blogspot.com%2F2008%2F04%2Fsomedays-its-just-like-shooting-fish-in_16.html • Ghostwriters for medical research criticized, reforms urged • Unsettling Link Between Drug Makers, Medical Research Exposed • Ghostwriters Used in Vioxx Studies, Article Says (Source: PharmaGossip) PharmaGossip blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1375077 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 03:50:00 +0100 1375077 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1375177&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F271012982%2F One of the three outside academic researchers whose names grace a Vioxx study appears to be having a hard time deciding whether he was intimately involved in compiling the paper. This particular paper was cited in a study published in JAMA this week that found academics often lent their names to Vioxx studies that were assembled by Merck scientists or ghostwriters. The study in question was designed to see whether Vioxx may blunt the progression of Alzheimer’s. One of the three outside academics listed was Steven Ferris, a New York University psychiatry professor who heads a dementia research center. But he has given differing accounts of his involvement in the study. In a statement, Merck maintains that “the absence of their names on the draft document author list or in the ac... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1375177 Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:01:51 +0100 1375177 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1375178&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F270974377%2F Figuring prominently in the JAMA article that revealed Vioxx studies were generated through ghostwriting is Scientific Therapeutics Information, which is known in pharma as a leading medical publishing firm that “specializes in scientific literature.” The article pointed out that STI drafted Vioxx studies and then sought academics to sign on as the primary authors. And so Chuck Grassley, the Iowa Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, has stepped up his pressure on the firm to disclose its activities. In letters sent to STI president John Romankiewicz and Merck ceo Dick Clark, Grassley asks both companies to divulge the extent of their dealings with each other. Although Merck called the JAMA article misleading, the drugmaker acknowledged that it sometimes hires outside med... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1375178 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 21:12:09 +0100 1375178 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1373833&cid=t_115474_150_f&fid=35777&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FPharmalot%2F%7E3%2F270957831%2F So you thought all those Vioxx studies in medical journals were independent, hands-off affairs? Not necesssarily. An examination of medical journal articles about Vioxx and court documents from Vioxx lawsuits found that Merck employees or ghostwriters were frequently involved in various articles, but the primary authors were often academics who actually had little to do with the studies or didn’t always disclose financial ties to Merck. That’s the finding of an article in the latest issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association by four academics who acknowledged they have served as expert witnesses for plaintiffs’ attorneys that have filed lawsuits against Merck. Among 96 relevant published articles, they found that 22 of 24 clinical trial articles published a ... Pharmalot blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1373833 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 20:36:56 +0100 1373833 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=1274848&cid=t_115474_109_f&fid=34800&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FClinicalPsychologyAndPsychiatryACloserLook%2F%7E3%2F244944962%2Feffexor-beats-ssris-kind-of-sort-of-in.html A recent study in the journal Biological Psychiatry claimed to show that Effexor's (venlafaxine's) alleged advantages over SSRIs "may be of public health relevance." Unstated in the article, but a more accurate reading of their findings, is that antidepressants yield little benefit over a placebo. I'm breaking this into two parts. The current post deals with the authors' claims regarding venlafaxine's superiority over SSRIs. A second post will examine their understated finding that antidepressants are not particularly impressive compared to placebo.The study was a meta-analysis, where data from all clinical trials comparing Effexor to an SSRI were pooled together. The authors used remission on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) as their measure of treatment effectiveness. On ... Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry: A Closer Look blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=1274848 Mon, 03 Mar 2008 16:34:00 +0100 1274848 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=644902&cid=t_115474_109_f&fid=34800&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FClinicalPsychologyAndPsychiatryACloserLook%2F%7E3%2F120786789%2Fadvertising-as-education-cme-part-deux.html This article is derived from the planning teleconference “Evaluating the Evidence: Clinical Antipsychotic Trials of Intervention Effectiveness (CATIE) and Beyond,” which was held on May 10, 2006, and was independently developed by the CME Institute of Physicians Postgraduate Press, Inc., and Health and Wellness Education Partners (HWeP) pursuant to an educational grant from Pfizer and addition support from HWP Publishing Dr. Nasrallah is a consultant for, has received honoraria from, and been on the speakers/advisory boards for Abbott, AstraZeneca, Janssen, Pfizer, and Shire and has received grant/research support from AstraZeneca, Janssen, and Pfizer. Content development and writing support for this article was provided in part by an independent writer contracted by HWeP: Martin Kor... Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry: A Closer Look blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=644902 Wed, 30 May 2007 12:21:00 +0100 644902 http://www.medworm.com/index.php?rid=573682&cid=t_115474_109_f&fid=34800&url=http%3A%2F%2Ffeeds.feedburner.com%2F%7Er%2FClinicalPsychologyAndPsychiatryACloserLook%2F%7E3%2F112430342%2Fpaxil-and-pimping.html A preliminary ruling has indicated that GlaxoSmithKline should pay out $63.8 million to make amends for making misleading claims about its antidepressant Paxil (Seroxat) in kids. Of course, the company admits no wrongdoing.I wonder if the authors who stamped their names on the the main ghostwritten "scientific" publication for Paxil in kids should also be shelling out some cash. After all, it was the paper (chock full of HUGE misinterpretations of the study data) with their names on it that was doubtlessly used as part of the Paxil in kids marketing campaign. Were these "independent" academics innocent parties who were misled by the corporate meanies at GSK? Or, conversely, were these academics an integral part of the marketing team and should they also be held accountable for making false... Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry: A Closer Look blogs http://www.medworm.com/rss/comments.php?id=573682 Fri, 27 Apr 2007 11:47:00 +0100 573682