Ghostwriting Journal Articles
Posted 08-17-2009 at 09:49 PM by freeztar
I was appaled at the recent news involving the pharmaceutical company, Wyeth, paying people to ghostwrite favorable articles on the drugs they sell.
I'm curious how these articles made it past the peer-review process and why these doctors signed off on them. How far does the money-trail go?
It's a disgrace for science. Wyeth sees $ and the science goes by the wayside. It's a sad depiction of human folly.
But, to end on a light note, at least they are in court.
Quote:
Originally Posted by http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/05/health/research/05ghost.html?_r=2
Newly unveiled court documents show that ghostwriters paid by a pharmaceutical company played a major role in producing 26 scientific papers backing the use of hormone replacement therapy in women, suggesting that the level of hidden industry influence on medical literature is broader than previously known.
...
The court documents provide a detailed paper trail showing how Wyeth contracted with a medical communications company to outline articles, draft them and then solicit top physicians to sign their names, even though many of the doctors contributed little or no writing. The documents suggest the practice went well beyond the case of Wyeth and hormone therapy, involving numerous drugs from other pharmaceutical companies.
...
The court documents provide a detailed paper trail showing how Wyeth contracted with a medical communications company to outline articles, draft them and then solicit top physicians to sign their names, even though many of the doctors contributed little or no writing. The documents suggest the practice went well beyond the case of Wyeth and hormone therapy, involving numerous drugs from other pharmaceutical companies.
It's a disgrace for science. Wyeth sees $ and the science goes by the wayside. It's a sad depiction of human folly.
But, to end on a light note, at least they are in court.
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