The New York Times (11/22, Rabin) reported, "Health reporters may become entangled in the same kinds of ethical conflicts they often expose when accepting industry-sponsored awards and relying on corporate public relations offices," according to a paper published online in BMJ. Citing "cash prizes and all-expense-paid trips given out by drug companies," the authors contended that "pharmaceutical companies 'work really hard to get their message out to'" the media. Dr. Steven Woloshin, associate professor of medicine at The Dartmouth Institute for Health Policy and Clinical Practice, one of the paper's authors, noted that "reporters have told him that they often get names of patients from the press officers of drug companies." The paper criticizes "reporters' reliance on drug company press officers for" such referrals, "whose views may have been carefully screened." The authors stress the importance of questioning journalists "about their ties to industry and their independence and apparent conflicts of interest."
Sen. Grassley investigates radio host's financial ties to drugmakers. The New York Times (11/22, A14, Harris) reported, "An influential psychiatrist who was the host of the popular public radio program 'The Infinite Mind' earned at least $1.3 million from 2000 to 2007 giving marketing lectures for drugmakers, income not mentioned on the program." Dr. Frederick Goodwin's "ties to drugmakers have been uncovered by Senator Charles E. Grassley (R-IA)," as "the first news media figure to be investigated" in a series of inquiries that "demonstrates how deeply pharmaceutical commercial interests reach." Dr. Goodwin's programs "have often touched on subjects important to the commercial interests of the companies for which he consults," and now, "records given to Congressional investigators" indicate how much money he has received in return.
According to Dr. Goodwin, Bill Lichtenstein, the program's producer, "knew about the consulting gigs but...neither of the two men thought 'getting money from drug companies could be an issue,'" Sarah Rubenstein noted in the Wall Street Journal (11/21) Health Blog. But, Lichtenstein maintained that "the fact that he was out on the stump for pharmaceutical companies was not something we were aware of. It would have violated our agreements." Now, Dr. Goodwin's show "is being canceled," and those "in charge of the program, including Goodwin, say in retrospect that Goodwin's conflicts should have been disclosed."
Students rally at Harvard for tighter conflict-of-interest policies. In the Wall Street Journal (11/21) Health Blog, Sarah Rubenstein wrote that "some 40 students rallied recently on the steps of Harvard Medical School's Gordon Hall" calling "for tighter conflict-of-interest policies vis-a-vis Harvard docs and pharmaceutical companies." Students from Tufts and Boston University attended the rally as well, in an effort to "get the administration to tighten its conflicts policies, both in the classroom and at the affiliated hospitals where the students train." According to Gretchen Brodnicki, Harvard's dean for faculty and research integrity, "the administration is taking the students' concerns seriously." She added, however, that "the school can't 'force' affiliated hospitals to change their existing policies to line up with what the medical school requires internally."
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