Research Center Tied to Drug Company

[Celebration]

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/11/25/health/25psych.html?bl&ex=1227762000&en=ab700f6adb9c70e5&ei=5087%0A

When a Congressional investigation revealed in June that Dr. Joseph Biederman, a world-renowned child psychiatrist, had earned far more money from drug makers than he had reported to his university, he said that his interests were “solely in the advancement of medical treatment through rigorous and objective study.”

Court documents reveal that Dr. Joseph Biederman, a renowned child psychiatrist, pushed Johnson & Johnson to fund a research center whose goal was “to move forward the commercial goals of J&J.”

But e-mail messages and internal documents from Johnson & Johnson made public in a court filing reveal that Dr. Biederman pushed the company to finance a research center at Massachusetts General Hospital, in Boston, with a goal to “move forward the commercial goals of J.& J.” The documents also show that the company prepared a draft summary of a study that Dr. Biederman, of Harvard, was said to have written.

Dr. Biederman’s work helped to fuel a fortyfold increase from 1994 to 2003 in the diagnosis of pediatric bipolar disorder and a rapid rise in the use of powerful, risky and expensive antipsychotic medicines in children.


.............snip...........

Johnson & Johnson makes a popular antipsychotic medicine called Risperdal, or risperidone. More than a quarter of its use is in children and adolescents.

A doc with his hand in the cookie jar? In a position to greatly influence diagnoses of childhood psychiatric disorders? Wonder why a lot of us don't trust the "system"?

[Hannah Bell]

1. Oh, I'm sure it's just an anomaly. Some people will always be on the take.

I'm sure most medical people aren't like that.

[Celebration]

2. actually, you are right

But they are part of the system too!!

Unfortunately all it takes is a few at the top of the heap, who get promoted at their prestigious universities on the basis of bringing in grant money, and who publish in prestigious journals based on being at prestigious universities, and, well, you know the drill. Let's diagnose some more kids with bipolar disorder!! It helps the bottom line, ya know. Oops, that's only for private emailing.

Just wait for all the mandatory psychiatric evaluation of school kids!! Don't have enough friends? Oh, social anxiety disorder..... Don't like to do homework? Oh, attention deficit disorder...........Argue with your parents? Oh, bipolar disorder. Helps that bottom line, ya know.

[juno jones]

3. I used to help train doctors

I was a 'simulated patient' for several years at a midwest medical school. I'd say about 30% of doctors are talented people with a calling, 50% are people who are smart enough to hack it but they are doing it more with a steady job in mind. There is a minority, but a signifigant one, that ooze superiority and are obviously in it only for the status and the money.

Just an observation of second-year med students while they still have to learn everything and before they specialize.

It would really be neat to make training availible to those who have the talent and desire, but who don't have money. The only good doctors are the ones who want to be there.

[mzmolly]

4. Don't they have ethics training?

:shrug:

[uppityperson]

5. You can have ethics courses, but you can't force ethics in action on anyone.

Yes, there are ethics classes, but just because people take them doesn't mean they are any more ethical.

[mzmolly]

6. I wont argue with that.

Thanks for the reply. :hi:

[juno jones]

7. They do.

And I was part of that. We would let the supervisors know which ones needed work. The huge majority are at the most careless and not cruel.

I left after 3 years, after encountering one who was frankly sadistic. I was teaching ob-gyn, ie: pap smears. I alerted my supervisor as I was told to do. I was never called back.