Merck Wrote Drug Studies for Doctors

The drug maker Merck drafted dozens of research studies for the pain drug Vioxx, then lined up prestigious doctors to put their names on the reports before publication, according to an article published in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association. The article, based on documents unearthed in lawsuits over the embattled drug, provides a rare, detailed look in the industry practice of ghostwriting medical research studies that are then published in academic journals. The article cited one draft of a Vioxx research study that was still in want of a big-name researcher, identifying the lead writer only as “External author?”

Vioxx was a best-selling drug before Merck took it off the market in 2004 over evidence linking it to heart attacks. The lead author, Dr. Joseph S. Ross of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, said a close look at the Merck documents raised broad questions about the validity of much of the drug industry’s published research, because the ghostwriting practice appears to be widespread. “It almost calls into question all legitimate research that’s been conducted by the pharmaceutical industry with the academic physician,” said Dr. Ross. Merck acknowledged on Tuesday that it sometimes hired outside medical writers to draft research reports before handing them over to the doctors whose names eventually appear on the publication.

Although the role of pharmaceutical companies in influencing medical journal articles has been questioned before, the Merck documents provided the most comprehensive look at the practice yet.

Bonnie - let's keep in mind that the FDA relies heavily on this research that Big Pharma spoon feeds them for drug approvals. To add insult to injury, if our present government has its way, Big Pharma will have legal immunity from lawsuits stemming from drug injuries that occurred post-FDA approval. An appeals court already ruled in favor of this in an antidepressant case last week and the Supreme Court is to rule on it next month.