Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2006

Drug Marketing by Many Other Names:
How Drug Industry Marketing Invades Research, Education and Treatment

Lisa Bero, UCSF professor of clinical pharmacy and health policy studies, examines how major drug companies boost sales by promoting expanded and sometimes new definitions of diseases; by advancing unapproved uses of drugs; initiating and funding research designed to demonstrate a drug's benefit, but publishing only if results are favorable; influencing physicians through continuing education programs, and medical students through distribution of industry-funded studies supporting uses of the company's drugs.

Bero's colleagues have shown that in some placebo/statin comparisons and some statin/statin comparisons, the only predictor of positive clinical trial outcomes is whether or not the study was funded by the drug maker.

She will report on a paper she co-authored in August, drawing on rarely available internal pharmaceutical company documents, showing how one Big Pharma manufacturer hired companies in the 1990s to create continuing medical education programs urging physicians to prescribe the seizure drug gabapenetin for far broader, unapproved uses. The company sponsored medical advisory boards and consultant meetings to promote the expanded uses, and paid the moderators and participants; funded a large study aimed to familiarize doctors with the idea of using the drug in higher-than-approved doses; discouraged publication of unfavorable results; and sponsored apparently independent scientific publications in the medical literature on topics that paralleled their marketing goals. Many of the activities were organized through third-party companies paid by the drug company with "unrestricted educational grants."
 
She will describe drug-company-sponsored trials with built-in design flaws to skew findings, and evidence of trials and data analysis intentionally changed to show favorable results. Many are published in non-peer-reviewed journals, reprinted in large runs and distributed in "educational" meetings with physicians and medical students. 
 
Bero is particularly concerned that such aggressive and ethically challenged marketing strategies not only undermine the research foundation for drug prescription decisions, but also erodes the integrity of medical education and damages public trust in the research enterprise. She will suggest a range of steps that can be taken to assure a separation between marketing and legitimate research. Be sure to take all your meds before settling in for her talk.
 
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, October 10
 
WHERE: Pyramid Alehouse, 901 Gilman St., Berkeley.
 
We've arranged for the Cellarman's buffet, which consists of:
 
Mixed green salad with herb vinaigrette
Honey chicken breast with salsa fresca
Seared tombo tuna in a crust of roasted barley
Roasted seasonal vegetables
Alehouse rice pilaf
Garlic mashed potatoes
Tea, coffee and soda
Brownies & cookies for dessert
 
No host bar for wine, beer or non-alcoholic beverages. Lots of good draft beer, and excellent root beer too.
 
SCHEDULE:
6:30-7:30 Happy Hour
7:30-8:30 Dinner
8:30-9:30 Speaker
 
COST: $30.00 per person and $20.00 for students
NCSWA is partially subsidizing the cost to keep prices reasonable.
 
Please make out a check to NCSWA and mail it by Oct. 6 to:

Robert Sanders
1512 Holly St.
Berkeley, CA 94703

Carpooling: For those interested in carpooling to the dinner, Karen Street again will play transportation matchmaker, matching up those of you wanting a ride with those who are driving. Contact her at karen_street@sbcglobal.net. She will mail out information as she receives it. Many thanks to all those who have offered rides in the past, enabling people to attend.