83.8% Of Doctors Have Some Sort Of Connection W-Drug Companies

Norman Rockwell

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Days gone by. As I sit here reading an article at medical news today reporting that 83.8% of doctors have some sort of relationship with drug companies; I'm recalling childhood impressions of my own family doctor. Yes, my doctor even made house calls which included a phone call to my mother a few hours later. Now that was admirable follow up care. Days gone by.

I don't mean to be redundant but lately there has been a few instances reported in relation to physicians crossing the line with unethical behavior, to say the least. In November according to a report from Australia Roche was fined for offering money to a nurse working at a undisclosed clinic. Kate Hagan from age.com writes "Drug company Roche has been fined $200,000 for offering to fund a nurse's position at a health service - depending on how many patients were treated with its hepatitis C drug Pegasys"The drug company has two fines under (two different occasions) the Medicines Australia code of conduct for the maximum of 200,000 dollars.

A few weeks ago a French doctor working as a consultant for "Human Genome Sciences Inc. was charged by the U.S. with insider-trading for allegedly tipping off a hedge fund about negative results of Albuferon drug trials."

In October Sam Waksal, the former CEO of ImClone Systems, whose insider trading lead to spending time in prison along with Martha Stewart, remember? Announced a new enterprise; "Waksal said his drug company Kadmon Pharmaceuticals has bought the privately held Three Rivers Pharmaceuticals, and that its treatments for hepatitis C, infections and cancer will be the backbone of his new enterprise".

Let's not forget the list published on the 384 doctors and healthcare professionals who were paid by pharmaceutical companies to promote their drugs. They "Drew Payments From Drug Companies" for the amount of no less then $100,000 published @ ProPublicas website: This list covered "Top Earners from 2009 and early 2010"

See the list

ProPublica writes ;"We obtained information on government actions, which include sanctions and warnings, from the websites of state medical boards and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. Some states remove older discipline from their web sites."

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NPR ran an interview that I found to be insightful (including audio) with Charles Ornstein, discussing the ProPublica list, Titled "Drug Companies Hire Troubled Doctors As Experts". Quote from NPR; "Although these companies have posted payments on their websites — some as a result of legal settlements — they make it difficult to spot trends or even learn who has earned the most. ProPublica combined the data and identified the highest-paid doctors, then checked their credentials and disciplinary records. Pfizer, one of the largest drug makers in the U.S., saw $27.8 billion in sales in 2009. Seven drug companies, including Pfizer, have disclosed information about doctors who receive payment for speaking fees related to products they sell". Audio/Full Story.

This brings us to another update published today at "Medical News Today". The article adds to the coverage between these doctors and those drug companies with an update from JAMA. The website pointed out the "Journal of the American Medical Association" would like to see "A national system of disclosure which openly reveals doctor-industry ties "The article quoted JAMA authors response to the "83.8% of doctors self-reporting some kind of relationship with drug and medical device companies, their link with both industries, especially pharmaceuticals, is still considerable" JAMA defines the significance of their article: "The medical profession has embraced the importance of placing patient welfare ahead of financial benefits to physicians in clinical decision making. One tenet of medical professionalism is managing conflicts of interest related to physician-industry relationships".

See the full article @ "Medical News Today"