Why Drug Companies Promote Off-Label
Recently, the Archives of Internal Medicine published an article about the off-label prescribing of drugs by physicians (see "Off-label Prescribing Among Office-Based Physicians"). Here's the data:In 2001, there were an estimated...
We Were Hoodwinked!
In a front page Wall Street Journal story, New England Journal of Medicine Executive Editor Gregory Curfman said "We Were Hoodwinked" ("Bitter Pill: How the New England Journal Missed Warning...
DTC’s Placebo Effect
Get this:
"The impact of DTCA on patient expectations has important implications for evaluating its role in the health-care system. While these expectations can lead to inappropriate and excessive prescribing,...
Pharma and Republicans Part Ways
Yesterday, I posted a chart showing the pharmaceutical industry's approval ratings, which improved nicely in the last two years (see "Pharma Industry Less Unpopular"). Unfortunately, the popularity of the Republican party...
Pharma Industry “Less Unpopular”
According to the most recent Harris Interactive poll the "Reputation of Pharmaceutical Companies, While Still Poor, Improves Sharply for Second Year in a Row." "Every year, Harris Interactive measures the public's...
Pfizer Imitating Art or Vice Versa?
Sometimes "life imitates art" completely by happenstance as when Mandy Patinkin -- the actor that plays a doctor in some Crestor TV ads -- was saved by the Heimlich maneuver in...
Whose Data Is It Anyway?
"Doctors Object to Gathering of Drug Data" says an article in yesterday's Business section of the New York Times:"Although virtually unknown to consumers, the information has long been considered the most...
Wake Up PhRMA! or Tilting at Windmills
A week or so ago I reported that Sepracor was "sneaking" in Lunesta "reminder ads" despite being a signatory to PhRMA's Guiding Principles for DTC advertising (see "Sepracor Sneaks In Lunesta...
Pre-emptive Drug Marketing?
"Findings from the first long-term trial of the concept of prescribing drugs to young people at risk of schizophrenia, but not yet exhibiting the disorder, raised more questions than they answered,...
Celsius 3014: Ketek, Drug Safety, & Bioterrorism
The Wall Street Journal reported yesterday that the FDA approved Ketek, an antibiotic used for the treatment of respiratory infections, despite initially rejecting the study -- called study 3014 -- ...
