DOCTORS LACK FAITH IN
DRUG COMPANY STUDIES
Somewhere out there, my mother is rolling her eyes. To the surprise of no one, even doctors lack
full faith in drug company sponsored studies.
Does anyone trust research paid for by the manufacturer? If you truly
want to know the details of a product, conventional wisdom says its generally
the independent studies that offer the most insight.
According to a recent report in the New England Journal of
Medicine, researchers from Harvard Medical School showed that doctors are
rethinking the efficacy of drugs based upon the source of studies’
funding. The report concludes that
doctors are only half as willing to prescribe drugs in industry- sponsored drug
trials compared to independent National Institute of Health funded trials. To drug makers, this is the sound of their
bottom line taking a nose dive.
WHY THE LACK OF FAITH
It turns out that doctors are a skeptical bunch. Concerned with splashy headline driven drugscandals, many doctors are recoiling from new drugs whose only studies are
sponsored by the drug companies themselves.
Perhaps this amount of caution is warranted. Recently, we’ve seen a lot of press about
drugs which were released amid glowing pharmaceutical company studies and later
turned into nightmares for the general public.
There are multiple reasons for this skepticism including:
·
Pharmaceutical companies’ reputation for not
including certain unsightly complications and side effects in studies
·
Pharmaceutical companies’ profits over people
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·
Splashy headlines in major newspapers warning of
the latest FDA recall or dangerous drug
With so many good reasons for skepticism, are there
legitimate reasons for trusting these studies that doctors are closing
themselves off to?
PERHAPS CAUTION IS
THE BEST APPROACH
Perhaps rather than jumping to immediate conclusions, a
cautioned approach would be best.
Doctors already have enough on their plates, but a little investigation
into the study and potential outside opinions, studies, and research might be a
good idea. Nobody wants to miss out on
prescribing a drug that might extend patients’ lives and improve their health
drastically. But until the next new
miracle drug presents itself, a measured and cautioned approach is probably the
best.
As a patient, does it make you feel better that your doctor
is cautiously weighing the options prior to subscribing potentially risky
drugs? It would help me sleep better at night to know that my doctor is
thinking it through. But if you find you’ve suffered just the opposite, and
your doctor has gone all in and prescribed you a risky and dangerous drug, you
do have options. If you’ve been injured,
you might want to talk to an attorney.
Call us and we’ll listen to your case.
