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Drug Money May Influence Doctors' Decisions

Posting Date: 06/19/2000

Ray Moynihan and his collaborators from Australia, Harvard and the University of California, San Francisco, found that coverage on new medications can be "inaccurate and overly enthusiastic," focusing primarily on benefits rather than risks. Fewer than half of the newspaper and television stories in the study included information on possible side effects or costs of new medicines. And the reports very rarely mentioned a quoted expert's links to the manufacturer.

How can patients and physicians make sense of headlines and sound bites that proclaim fabulous pharmaceutical breakthroughs?

Just like a good detective, they need to follow the money. Whether the drug is for osteoporosis, high cholesterol, or Alzheimer's, people should ask who funded the study.

If, as is likely, the research was underwritten by the manufacturer, billions of dollars could be at stake. From the design of the study to the dissemination of the results, the company may have guided the process to put its drug in the best possible light.

Before taking a new medication, ask your doctor tough questions. Inquire whether the drug in question is as good as it sounds and what side effects could occur. Then read the fine print, not just the headlines.