October 21, 2009 – 9:19 am
If you lived in the US, you’d know.
The Wall Street Journal reports that Merck has just released its list of payments to doctors for giving talks at promotional events. The list also includes some nurses, pharmacists and scientists.
The payments range from $150 to more than $20,000.
The paper reports that many drug companies are moving to [...]
September 28, 2009 – 3:38 pm
The medical magazines, Australian Doctor and Medical Observer, have been carrying bright red, full-page advertisements from Pfizer, advising doctors that “patients will soon be asking about their suitability for combination heart medications”.
The advertisement includes a sample from a consumer advertising campaign that advises readers to talk to their doctor about a combination heart pill if [...]
September 25, 2009 – 1:17 pm
For those who would like to dig deeper into the issues surrounding swine flu and vaccination, it’s worth having a read of this interview with Dr Tom Jefferson, a medically trained epidemiologist who has long experience as a reviewer for the Cochrane Collaboration, examining the evidence around seasonal influenza vaccines.
The interview, conducted by Maryann [...]
September 22, 2009 – 3:14 pm
The organisers of a forum on pharmaceutical regulation, to be held in Adelaide on Thursday, are promising a “robust discussion”. I hope there are plans for a podcast as I’m sure there will be plenty of interest in the debate.
Healthy Skepticism is hosting the panel discussion, at the Women and Children’s Hospital, to examine questions [...]
September 8, 2009 – 11:30 am
The National Health and Hospitals Reform Commission’s final report made many suggestions requiring much more work if they are ever to have any chance of implementation. Consultancies must be rubbing their hands in anticipation of the business that health reform will generate.
Here at Croakey, we thought we’d do our bit to save the public [...]
The Crikey Register of Influence – which details links between opinion leaders, organisations and industry marketing campaigns – has been updated.
The new entries are Professor Simon Stewart, Head, Preventive Cardiology at the Baker IDI Heart and Diabetes Institute, and his colleague, Dr Melinda Carrington, General Manager of the Baker’s Disease Management and Preventative Programs.
They appeared [...]
Further to the post below re Ken Harvey’s concerns about Sigma, cruises, and product promotion….the ceo of the Generic Medicines Industry Association, Kate Lynch, has advised Harvey that:
“…under the requirements of the Therapeutic Goods Act (1989), the Therapeutic Goods Advertising Code (2007) and as stipulated in the Therapeutic Good Administration’s letter of marketing approval, Sponsor [...]
Sue Dunlevy did this story about Sigma, a generic drug manufacturer, wanting to take GPs and pharmacists on a luxury cruise visiting Italy, Malta, Corsica and Monte Carlo. Former Victorian premier Jeff Kennett is billed as the keynote speaker at the conference advertised in the Australian Doctor magazine. The story was also picked up here.
Dr [...]
When the NHMRC convened a workshop on conflicts of interest in Canberra recently, participants were told that Australia had been slower than some other countries to take steps to minimise the impact of such conflicts upon research and clinical practice.
In the piece below, Sydney dermatologist Dr Chris Commens argues that unless the medical profession smartens [...]
On Friday, April 17, a Pfizer advertisement told readers of the West Australian newspaper: “If you are taking multiple medicines for conditions such as high blood pressure or high cholesterol, there are combination options that can reduce the number of tablets you take. And the amount of money you pay.”
The advertisement had a section for [...]
