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Today, I came across a Milwaukee Journal Sentinel and MedPage Today report (here) that links pharmaceutical industry payments to physicians and medical societies that determine treatment guidelines for drugs that they produce. The report focuses on the anticoagulant market and Gregory Lip, a British heart doctor with "extensive financial ties to the pharmaceutical industry. Lip has also served on treatment guidelines panels that have recommended greater use of the new [anticoagulant] drugs.
"Critics argue the financial relationships can lead to guidelines that make ineffective, costly or potentially harmful recommendations," says the report.
"Drug companies and some doctors counter that those with conflicts often are top experts in their fields and they provide essential insight to such committees. A 2012 Journal Sentinel/MedPage Today investigation found that treatment guidelines for conditions treated by the nation's most popular drugs, which accounted for $94 billion in sales at the time, were written by panels heavy with doctors with financial ties to drug companies. The investigation found that 66% of doctors on 16 guideline panels that listed conflicts had financial ties to drug companies. Nine guidelines were written by panels where more than 80% of doctors had financial ties to drug companies."
But pharma uses more than money to influence medical societies and its members. They also use Twitter. Hows so?
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