Scientific Method be damned, medical journals have an economic incentive for publishing papers with postive outcomes. When a drug study shows positive outcomes, pharmaceutical companies buy reprints of it in bulk to distribute it to prescribers.
Those purchases can add up to over $2 million. For journals like The Lancet ($40 annual revenue) and NEJM ($100 million/yr.), that’s huge. 41 percent of The Lancet’s 2021 income came from reprints. When it comes to drug studies, Big Phama’s thumb is firmly on the scale.
More:
Scientific journals are incentivized to publish positive drug studies,” Annalisa Merelli, Quartz
Related:
“Why Most Published Research Findings Are False,” John P. A. Ioannidis, PLOS Medicine
In a remarkable coincidence, Regeneron was awarded a $450 million contract to manufacture and supply a few thousand doses of the antibody treatment as part of “Operation Warp Speed,” the federal government’s Covid-19 vaccine program. REGN-COV2 is not a vaccine, it’s a monoclonal antibody cocktail. REGN-COV2 is still in trials, and has not been approved for use by the FDA. Even if the the drug cocktail is proven effect in treating or preventing COVID-19, there is no way a monoclonal antibody drug could be produced in sufficient quantities to be broadly available to America, let alone the world, meaning it might just go to the rich and powerful. Even though Trump didn’t pay for his antibody treatments, don’t think you’ll get them for free.
“Trump pushes FDA to quickly clear coronavirus antibody treatments, erroneously calling them a ‘cure,’” Carolyn Y. Johnson, Laurie McGinley and Josh Dawsey, Washington Post
“Trump is promising free antibody treatments for everyone. It won’t be that simple.” Zachary Brennan, Politico
“Regeneron execs go on a whirlwind media tour after Trump takes COVID-19 antibody cocktail,” Beth Snyder Bulik, Fierce Pharma
“OxyContin maker Purdue Pharma LP is exploring filing for bankruptcy to address potentially significant liabilities from roughly 2,000 lawsuits alleging the drugmaker contributed to the deadly opioid crisis sweeping the United States, people familiar with the matter said on Monday.”
“One of America’s richest families is accused of profiting from the nation’s opioid crisis,” Tony Marco, CNN
“Allegations Against the Maker of OxyContin Are Piling Up. Here’s What They Could Mean for the Billionaire Family Behind Purdue Pharma,” Jamie Ducharme, Time
Update:
“Oklahoma judge refuses to delay first trial of responsibility for opioid crisis,” Lenny Bernstein, Washington Post
Related:
“Doctor Who Wrote 1980 Letter On Painkillers Regrets That It Fed The Opioid Crisis,” Taylor Haney and Andrea Hsu, NPR
“Purdue Pharma taps a Gilded Age history of pharmaceutical fraud,” Jonathan S. Jones, The Conversation
“An analysis by the publication Sciencehas ‘found widespread after-the-fact payments or research support’ from pharmaceutical companies to expert officials who advised the Food and Drug Administration to approve those companies’ drugs.”
— “Pharma companies pay FDA advisers after drugs are approved,” Bob Herman, Axios
More:
“Hidden conflicts? Pharma payments to FDA advisers after drug approvals spark ethical concerns,” Charles Piller and Jia You, Science
“Majority of doctors who oversee FDA drug approval receive payments from companies they monitor, report shows,” Clark Mindock, The Independent
____________
Short link: https://wp.me/p6sb6-rUa
Top image by Mike Licht. Download a copy here. Creative Commons license; credit Mike Licht, NotionsCapital.com
Comments are welcome if they are on-topic, substantive, concise, and not boring or obscene. Comments may be edited for clarity and length.
Pharmaceutical marketers spend almost $5 billion a year on U.S. television commericals and magazine ads.
“On Tuesday, the American Medical Association called for a ban on consumer advertisements for prescription drugs and medical devices, an attempt to help customers make the best, most affordable health care choices, the group said. The AMA claims drug advertisements create high demand for the expensive treatments that patients see on TV and online, when alternative low-cost medical solutions may be available and more effective.”
— “American Medical Association wants to ban ads for prescription drugs,” Loren Grush, The Verge
NotionsCapital 