“..A recent article in the New England Journal of Medicine reveals the shocking extent of how corrupt drug companies are.
“Laws are like cobwebs, which may catch small flies, but let wasps and hornets break through.” – Jonathan Swift
After reading “The Neurontin Legacy — Marketing through Misinformation and Manipulation” in the January 8, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, one may conclude that (1) America’s prisons would be put to better use incarcerating drug company executives instead of pot smokers..
..and (2) society may need a return of public scorn via the pillory for those doctors who are essentially drug-company shills.
Drug-company corruption of American medicine is of course not news.
What is news is that such corruption has become so egregious, so transparent, and so embarrassing that the New England Journal of Medicine, perhaps the most influential American medical journal, is now stating that..
..”drastic action is essential to preserve the integrity of medical science and practice..and to justify public trust.”
Neurontin was approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in 1993 in doses of up to 1800 mg per day as adjunctive therapy for partial complex seizures.
How did U.S. annual sales of Neurontin increase from $98 million in 1995 to nearly $3 billion in 2004?
The answer is “off-label” marketing, in which Neurontin manufacturer Parke-Davis (a division of Warner-Lambert purchased by Pfizer in 2000) marketed Neurontin to doctors for uses not approved by the FDA..
..(because doctors can legally prescribe drugs for uses not approved by the FDA).
While aggressive off-label marketing to doctors is standard among drug companies, it is routinely kept quiet.
But thanks to a Parke-Davis whistle blower, we have first-hand evidence of off-label marketing —
..and how the Neurontin financial bonanza was created..”
go to source/story>>What’s It Going to Take to Lock Up Drug Company Execs? | Health and Wellness | AlterNet
