Biased medical literature – medicine on a tipping point.
The more I look into research papers the more I am convinced of underlying bias. It may be researcher bias trying to find a particular answer but unfortunately ‘industry’ bias is significant.
Both the pharmaceutical and food industries have massive financial vested interests in the outcomes of studies and particularly drug studies.
I will be putting up a variety of essays and papers around this over the coming weeks as it is a compelling and disturbing situation.
As a doctor we tend to accept the information given to us on face value by reputable reps who are ‘nice’ people.. but they have something to sell.
I have been told that I am one of the most troublesome doctors for drug and medical reps to visit. I wear that as a badge of honour – I ask questions, and generally they are questions they have not had before.
If you are really interested in this topic then get hold of Peter Gotzsche’s ‘Deadly Medicine and Organised Crime – how big pharma corrupted healthcare’.
Peter Gotzsche was one of the original collaborators of the Cochrane Report which is major review body. His expose of the pharmaceutical industry makes for compelling, albeit dry reading. He has taken on many well known drugs and companies in this current treatise.
I recommend it to all doctors. Read it with an open mind. It left me disturbed. Fortunately as an Orthopaedic Surgeon I don’t prescribe a lot of medication but I see a lot of patients on truckloads of medication and wonder how they got to be on so many.
This book will make you rethink a lot of prescribing practices.
http://www.amazon.com/Deadly-Medicines-Organis…/…/1846198844