Drugs and Flying Pigs

On September 25th, we reported on a USA today article which found that more than 50% of supposed independent drug studying experts had a direct financial interest in the drug or topic they were asked to evaluate. As USA Today stated, “these conflicts include helping a pharmaceutical company develop a medicine, then serving on an FDA advisory committee that judges the drug.”

This week, Nicholas Regush of “Second Opinion” fame has written his commentary on the subject titled “Moneyed Interests – Looking At Conflict of Interest in Biomedicine”

According to the article, Nicholas stated that “Monster egos, conflict of interest and arrogance are all too often the baggage that accompanies medical science.”

Can scientists and medical professionals truly be impartial in reaching decisions on whether to approve medical products that will affect the lives of millions of people? Regush says “sure, and pigs can fly.”

Why has the FDA not fired those with conflicts of interest? Why has the FDA not pulled the drugs that are now on the market as a result of these conflicts of interest? Whose interests does the FDA serve?

Regush uses Thalidomide as an example of drugs that were banned as a result of FDA reviews in the early days. By contrast, today, the makers of Thalidomide have been diligently working to bring the drug back to market. Think there may be a conflict of interest there?

About the conflicts, Regush says “I’ve had it up to HERE with these quacks and their simplistic meanderings about impartiality.” He further states that “next week’s column will review an even darker side of medical science, and revelations of a shocking new scandal will likely further damage our trust in scientists and government institutions.”

ABC News: Moneyed Interests