What strikes me in these cases is just how little progress we are making. I've been following this stuff for the last 12 years or so, and I see a lot of exposés -- but not a lot of substantial changes that result from those exposés.
For example, if you look back to 2000-2001, you'll see that David Willman -- a reporter for the Los Angeles Times -- won the Pulitzer prize for a series of articles about corruption in the pharmaceutical industry. His articles are first-rate and are still worth reading today:
http://www.pulitzer.org/year/2001/investigative-reporting/works/
But that was seven years ago. Are we in a better position today? Maybe I'm being overly harsh, but I just don't see a lot of progress made. Big Pharma has corrupted medicine -- and especially psychiatry -- and now has its sights set on psychologists.
Psychiatric medications, science, marketing, psychiatry in general, and occasionally clinical psychology. Questioning the role of key opinion leaders and the use of "science" to promote commercial ends rather than the needs of people with mental health concerns.
Sunday, December 23, 2007
Changes?
Alex Chernavsky has written many thoughtful comments on this blog, which I greatly appreciate. His latest comment is about the potential Zetia coverup, but it could have been written in response to many other topics and been just as apropos. I wish I could disagree with him, but I think he has a point...
The link for Alex Chernavsky doesn't work.
ReplyDeleteMarilyn
I have to agree with Chernavsky. The information has been out there for a long time, the exposes, but no results. Look at the Zyprexa matter...all that information and I believe (knowing you can correct me if I'm wrong) prescriptions for the drug are on the INCREASE. scary stuff.
ReplyDeleteYou are correct -- the Chernavsky link does not work. Perhaps he set his profile to private?
ReplyDeleteHi CL,
ReplyDeleteThanks for the kind words and the nice post. If someone wants to contact me, they can e-mail me at alexc [at] aya dot yale dot edu.