By Dave Lucas
Albany, NY – Several journalism groups led an investigation that looked into which doctors were paid to pitch prescription drugs. Capital District Bureau Chief Dave Lucas talked with local doctors whose names appeared on a database of those receiving drug company payments
The payments are not illegal and not considered improper. The investigation by journalism group ProPublica, Consumer Reports magazine, NPR radio and several publications, is based on a ProPublica-compiled database that includes the names of 17-thousand physicians who have recently given speeches underwritten by seven drug companies: AstraZeneca, Cephalon, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Eli Lilly, Merck and Pfizer.I spoke with Scott Schroeder, Professor of Pediatrics at Albany Medical Center and Albany Endocrinologist Robert Busch, both appear on Pro Publica's list.
One problem that became apparent after the NPR report aired: Reporters discovered that "many" of the doctors on the list had been accused of misconduct or disciplined by medical boards. But the "questionable" doctors only amounted to about 1-point-5 per cent of the total database.
Some casual listeners said they interpreted the NPR story as implying that all physicians doing promotional talks for drug companies were inherently bad. Busch says this couldn't be farther from the truth. Investigative journalist Charles Ornstein says ProPublica has received mostly positive feedback from its report.
Link : Drug Companies Hire Troubled Doctors As Experts by NPR Staff and ProPublica
Link : Docs on Pharma Payroll Have Blemished Records, Limited Credentials (ProPublica)