Harvard Medical Students Rebel Against Big Pharma Ties

[Guest guest]

_http://articles.http://artichttp://articleshttp://articlhttp://articlehttp:

//articles.http://articleshttp://artihttp://ar_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/18/Harvard-Medical-S\

tudents-Rebel-Against-Bi

g-Pharma-Ties.aspx)

 

 

Harvard Medical Students Rebel Against Big Pharma Ties

 

Two hundred Harvard Medical School students are confronting the school’s

administration, demanding an end to pharmaceutical industry influence in the

classroom.

 

The students worry that pharmaceutical industry scandals in recent years,

including criminal convictions, billions of dollars in fines, proof of bias

in research and publishing and false marketing claims, have cast a bad

light on the medical profession. The students have criticized Harvard as being

less vigilant than other leading medical schools in monitoring potential

financial conflicts by faculty members.

 

Harvard received the lowest possible grade, an “F,†from the American

Medical Student Association, a national group that rates how well medical

schools monitor and control drug industry money.

 

The students were joined by Dr. Marcia Angell, a faculty member and former

editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, who has vigorously

advocated for an end to liaisons between academia and Big Pharma.

 

Sources:

 

_Alliance for Human Research Protection March 3, 2009_

(http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/523/9/)

 

 

 

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

 

Medical schools’ image as unbiased sources of education is increasingly

being tarnished as the truth comes out about their heavy ties to the drug

industry. Even Harvard Medical School, one of the most prestigious in the

United States, recently earned an F for its policies regarding accepting money

and gifts from drug companies.

 

The grade came from the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), which

ranked 150 medical schools according to their ties to industry. The more

money and other incentives a school was receiving from the pharmaceutical

industry, the worse grade they got.

 

Harvard earned the lowest grade possible, so kudos to these medical

students who decided to confront the school’s administration for some

much-needed

change. According to AMSA:

 

 

• Out of Harvard's 8,900 professors and lecturers, 1,600 admit that they

or a family member have ties to drug companies that could bias their

teaching or research.

• The pharmaceutical industry contributed more than $11.5 million to

Harvard in 2008 for “research and continuing education classes.â€

 

 

The issue has only gotten more heated since the New York Times _ran this

article_ (h

ttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/business/03medschool.html?_r=1 & emc=eta1) ,

featuring the story of Matt Zerden, then a first-year Harvard

medical student, who became suspicious after one of his professors promoted

the benefits of cholesterol drugs, and even went so far as to belittle a

student who asked about side effects.

 

Turns out the professor was not only a member of Harvard’s medical

faculty, but also was a paid consultant to 10 drug companies, including five

makers of cholesterol treatments.

 

“I felt really violated,†Mr. Zerden, now a fourth-year student, said in

the New York Times. “Here we have 160 open minds trying to learn the basics

in a protected space, and the information he was giving wasn’t as pure as

I think it should be.â€

 

And that really sums up the issue in a nutshell.

 

How can medical professors teach unbiased, truthful information to their

students when they’re being essentially paid off by drug companies?

 

Well, they really can’t, and that’s the problem.

 

Impressionable medical students are being indoctrinated into the

drug-based model of disease care as we speak. It goes on all the time, and I

can

vouch for this personally as I, too, was brainwashed in medical school to

favor the drug paradigm.

 

In the mid '80s, I was actually a paid speaker for the drug companies.

They would fly me to various physician education events around the country and

pay me a very generous stipend to lecture to these groups. That was more

than two decades ago, before I was able to remove myself from their very

powerful brainwashing techniques -- and I was finally able to understand the

truth of what they were doing.

 

 

A Long History of Corruption

 

In the 19th century, most Americans thrived on more natural approaches

like homeopathic medicine.

 

Then, in 1847, along came the _American Medical Association_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/03/how-the-american-\

medical-a

ssociation-got-rich.aspx?source=nl) (AMA). Most people didn’t trust this

new conglomeration, so to gain the power, money and control they were after,

they kept all homeopathic physicians out of their “club,†and proceeded

to call all related remedies “quackery.â€

 

If you didn’t want to pay to join the club (by advertising in their

medical journal, JAMA), anything you recommended would also be criticized.

 

From that point on, the AMA turned into a medical monopoly, taking control

of medical schools and essentially medical students as well. To put it

simply, when the AMA took control of the medical schools, they made it so that

only those who graduated from one of them could practice medicine.

 

And since they controlled the schools, guess what was largely taught? How

to use prescription drugs.

 

This intertwining of the drug industry and medical schools is still going

strong today, with the end result being a medical model that relies heavily

on drugs, surgery and hospital stays, instead of teaching true healing

practices.

 

 

What Happens When Industry Gets a Hold of Doctors?

 

It’s old news that drug companies use aggressive sales tactics to

_influence doctors’ prescribing habits_

(http://blogs.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/archive/2007/04/30/Is-Your-Doctor-Bei\

ng-PAID-OFF-by-the-Drug-Industry.aspx)

, but what may surprise you is how well these tactics work.

 

A study a few years back found that drug companies were the _greatest

influence on doctors’ decisions_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/01/29/doctor-prescripti\

ons.aspx) of which drugs to prescribe.

Further, about 70 percent of doctors regarded drug representatives as an

efficient way to obtain new drug information!

 

Of course, they start their pitches even before the doctors are

practicing, while they’re still in medical school.

 

Drug reps must target doctors, and doctors in training, because a

physician is required for the consumer to purchase their product. Although in

the

United States they have also ramped up their direct-to-consumer ads on

television and in magazines, their real “meat and potatoes†comes from

their

marketing directly to physicians.

 

This is one of the primary reasons why drug companies spend $4 billion

each year on direct-to-consumer ads in the United States, but 400% more, a

massive $16 billion, to influence your doctor. That is $10,000 for every

single doctor in the United States.

 

 

Change is Underway

 

Fortunately there is a generation of bright medical students entering the

field, and many of them are taking steps to help clean up their medical

education.

 

Already, AMSA has succeeded in securing a requirement at Harvard that all

professors and lecturers disclose their industry ties in class (one

professor’s disclosure list had 47 company affiliations!).

 

Amidst all of the bad press, Harvard’s dean also announced that a

19-member committee will be re-examining the school’s conflict-of-interest

policies.

 

The inundation of drug companies into the medical field as a whole did not

happen overnight, and it won’t get solved that way either. But step by

step, changes are being made in the right direction.

 

If you are a student in medical school right now, or planning to enter

soon, please become familiar with _AMSA’s PharmFree campaign_

(http://www.pharmfree.org/) . Aside from being a great source of information,

their site

offers _guides and kits to help you make positive changes_

(http://www.pharmfree.org/change/) , including major policy reforms, at your own

school.

 

 

 

 

 

Related Links:

 

_Virtually All U.S. Doctors Accept Money, Freebies from Drug Companies_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/10/04/virtually-all-u-

s-doctors-accept-money-freebies-from-drug-companies.aspx)

 

 

_Former Drug Sales Rep Tells All_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/04/05/former-drug-sales\

-rep-tells-all.aspx)

 

 

_Psychological Warfare Techniques -- Used on Your Doctor_

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/18/drug-company-reps\

-are-using-p

sychological-warfare-techniques-on-your-doctor.aspx?PageIndex=2)

 

**************Access 350+ FREE radio stations anytime from anywhere on the

web. Get the Radio Toolbar!

(http://toolbar.aol.com/aolradio/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown00000003)

 

 

 

[Guest guest]

Thanks. I enjoyed this article. Told me more about Dr Mercola too that I

hadn't known. The owner of a group I recently joined for people that had been

'damaged' by antibiotics, is the only group owner on the internet [at least that

I have heard of] that will not allow urls nor articlEs from Dr Mercola's website

to be posted to the group. He calls Dr Mercola, 'A wacko' . He is a fan of

Stephen Barrett of the former so called " Quackwatchers " . It does not matter that

Barrett sued 40 times different alternative doctors and treatments -and lost all

40 cases in court, nor that Barrett was eventually esposed by a judge in court

as being a faud and not even a doctor - Barrett is still " an expert on

alternative health and treatments " according to this group owner.

 

Dr. Stephen Barrett of Quackwatch Exposed In Court Cases

At trial, under a heated cross-examination by Negrete, Barrett conceded that he

was not a Medical Board Certified psychiatrist because he had failed the

certification exam.The most damning testimony before the jury, under the intense

cross-examination by Negrete, was that Barrett had filed similar defamation

lawsuits against almost 40 people across the country within the past few years

and had not won one single one at trial. During the course of his examination,

Barrett also had to concede his ties to the AMA, Federal Trade Commission (FTC)

and Food & Drug Administration (FDA).

http://www.canlyme.com/quackwatch.html

 

Quackbusters: " Bullys " Barrett, Baratz, Sued For 1.3 Million in Canada...

http://www.quackpotwatch.org/opinionpieces/quackbusters_barrett.htm

 

The Quackbusters

Vitality May 2002 By Helke Ferrie . " The great mass of people will more easily

fall victim to a big lie than a small one. " Adolf Hitler, Mein Kampf, 1925

http://www.kospublishing.com/html/quack_busters.html

 

De-licensed MD Stephen Barrett

What kind of man would drop out of the medical profession and dedicate his life

to STOPPING advancement in the health

sciences?

http://www.quackpotwatch.org/quackpots/quackpots/barrett.htm

 

What the American Court System Thinks About the Quackbusters

http://www.quackpotwatch.org/quackpots/california_superior_court_judge_.htm

 

The [California] Three Judge Panel's words...

" Conclusion - Appellant (NCAHF) believes that no one should be allowed to market

homeopathic remedies. Congress has decided otherwise, and officially recognizes

the Homeopathic Pharmacopoeia.

http://www.quackpotwatch.org/opinionpieces/for_quackbuster.htm

 

blessings

Shan

 

 

 

, Fernwoods wrote:

>

>

> _http://articles.http://artichttp://articleshttp://articlhttp://articlehttp:

> //articles.http://articleshttp://artihttp://ar_

>

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2009/04/18/Harvard-Medical-S\

tudents-Rebel-Against-Bi

> g-Pharma-Ties.aspx)

>

>

> Harvard Medical Students Rebel Against Big Pharma Ties

>

> Two hundred Harvard Medical School students are confronting the school’s

> administration, demanding an end to pharmaceutical industry influence in the

> classroom.

>

> The students worry that pharmaceutical industry scandals in recent years,

> including criminal convictions, billions of dollars in fines, proof of bias

> in research and publishing and false marketing claims, have cast a bad

> light on the medical profession. The students have criticized Harvard as

being

> less vigilant than other leading medical schools in monitoring potential

> financial conflicts by faculty members.

>

> Harvard received the lowest possible grade, an “F,†from the American

> Medical Student Association, a national group that rates how well medical

> schools monitor and control drug industry money.

>

> The students were joined by Dr. Marcia Angell, a faculty member and former

> editor in chief of the New England Journal of Medicine, who has vigorously

> advocated for an end to liaisons between academia and Big Pharma.

>

> Sources:

>

> _Alliance for Human Research Protection March 3, 2009_

> (http://www.ahrp.org/cms/content/view/523/9/)

>

>

>

> Dr. Mercola's Comments:

>

> Medical schools’ image as unbiased sources of education is increasingly

> being tarnished as the truth comes out about their heavy ties to the drug

> industry. Even Harvard Medical School, one of the most prestigious in the

> United States, recently earned an F for its policies regarding accepting

money

> and gifts from drug companies.

>

> The grade came from the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), which

> ranked 150 medical schools according to their ties to industry. The more

> money and other incentives a school was receiving from the pharmaceutical

> industry, the worse grade they got.

>

> Harvard earned the lowest grade possible, so kudos to these medical

> students who decided to confront the school’s administration for some

much-needed

> change. According to AMSA:

>

>

> • Out of Harvard's 8,900 professors and lecturers, 1,600 admit that they

> or a family member have ties to drug companies that could bias their

> teaching or research.

> • The pharmaceutical industry contributed more than $11.5 million to

> Harvard in 2008 for “research and continuing education classes.â€

>

>

> The issue has only gotten more heated since the New York Times _ran this

> article_ (h

> ttp://www.nytimes.com/2009/03/03/business/03medschool.html?_r=1 & emc=eta1) ,

featuring the story of Matt Zerden, then a first-year Harvard

> medical student, who became suspicious after one of his professors promoted

> the benefits of cholesterol drugs, and even went so far as to belittle a

> student who asked about side effects.

>

> Turns out the professor was not only a member of Harvard’s medical

> faculty, but also was a paid consultant to 10 drug companies, including five

> makers of cholesterol treatments.

>

> “I felt really violated,†Mr. Zerden, now a fourth-year student, said in

> the New York Times. “Here we have 160 open minds trying to learn the basics

> in a protected space, and the information he was giving wasn’t as pure as

> I think it should be.â€

>

> And that really sums up the issue in a nutshell.

>

> How can medical professors teach unbiased, truthful information to their

> students when they’re being essentially paid off by drug companies?

>

> Well, they really can’t, and that’s the problem.

>

> Impressionable medical students are being indoctrinated into the

> drug-based model of disease care as we speak. It goes on all the time, and I

can

> vouch for this personally as I, too, was brainwashed in medical school to

> favor the drug paradigm.

>

> In the mid '80s, I was actually a paid speaker for the drug companies.

> They would fly me to various physician education events around the country

and

> pay me a very generous stipend to lecture to these groups. That was more

> than two decades ago, before I was able to remove myself from their very

> powerful brainwashing techniques -- and I was finally able to understand the

> truth of what they were doing.

>

>

> A Long History of Corruption

>

> In the 19th century, most Americans thrived on more natural approaches

> like homeopathic medicine.

>

> Then, in 1847, along came the _American Medical Association_

>

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/05/03/how-the-american-\

medical-a

> ssociation-got-rich.aspx?source=nl) (AMA). Most people didn’t trust this

> new conglomeration, so to gain the power, money and control they were after,

> they kept all homeopathic physicians out of their “club,†and proceeded

> to call all related remedies “quackery.â€

>

> If you didn’t want to pay to join the club (by advertising in their

> medical journal, JAMA), anything you recommended would also be criticized.

>

> From that point on, the AMA turned into a medical monopoly, taking control

> of medical schools and essentially medical students as well. To put it

> simply, when the AMA took control of the medical schools, they made it so

that

> only those who graduated from one of them could practice medicine.

>

> And since they controlled the schools, guess what was largely taught? How

> to use prescription drugs.

>

> This intertwining of the drug industry and medical schools is still going

> strong today, with the end result being a medical model that relies heavily

> on drugs, surgery and hospital stays, instead of teaching true healing

> practices.

>

>

> What Happens When Industry Gets a Hold of Doctors?

>

> It’s old news that drug companies use aggressive sales tactics to

> _influence doctors’ prescribing habits_

>

(http://blogs.mercola.com/sites/vitalvotes/archive/2007/04/30/Is-Your-Doctor-Bei\

ng-PAID-OFF-by-the-Drug-Industry.aspx)

> , but what may surprise you is how well these tactics work.

>

> A study a few years back found that drug companies were the _greatest

> influence on doctors’ decisions_

>

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2003/01/29/doctor-prescripti\

ons.aspx) of which drugs to prescribe.

> Further, about 70 percent of doctors regarded drug representatives as an

> efficient way to obtain new drug information!

>

> Of course, they start their pitches even before the doctors are

> practicing, while they’re still in medical school.

>

> Drug reps must target doctors, and doctors in training, because a

> physician is required for the consumer to purchase their product. Although in

the

> United States they have also ramped up their direct-to-consumer ads on

> television and in magazines, their real “meat and potatoes†comes from

their

> marketing directly to physicians.

>

> This is one of the primary reasons why drug companies spend $4 billion

> each year on direct-to-consumer ads in the United States, but 400% more, a

> massive $16 billion, to influence your doctor. That is $10,000 for every

> single doctor in the United States.

>

>

> Change is Underway

>

> Fortunately there is a generation of bright medical students entering the

> field, and many of them are taking steps to help clean up their medical

> education.

>

> Already, AMSA has succeeded in securing a requirement at Harvard that all

> professors and lecturers disclose their industry ties in class (one

> professor’s disclosure list had 47 company affiliations!).

>

> Amidst all of the bad press, Harvard’s dean also announced that a

> 19-member committee will be re-examining the school’s conflict-of-interest

policies.

>

> The inundation of drug companies into the medical field as a whole did not

> happen overnight, and it won’t get solved that way either. But step by

> step, changes are being made in the right direction.

>

> If you are a student in medical school right now, or planning to enter

> soon, please become familiar with _AMSA’s PharmFree campaign_

> (http://www.pharmfree.org/) . Aside from being a great source of information,

their site

> offers _guides and kits to help you make positive changes_

> (http://www.pharmfree.org/change/) , including major policy reforms, at your

own school.

>

>

>

>

>

> Related Links:

>

> _Virtually All U.S. Doctors Accept Money, Freebies from Drug Companies_

>

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/10/04/virtually-all-u-

> s-doctors-accept-money-freebies-from-drug-companies.aspx)

>

>

> _Former Drug Sales Rep Tells All_

>

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2008/04/05/former-drug-sales\

-rep-tells-all.aspx)

>

>

> _Psychological Warfare Techniques -- Used on Your Doctor_

>

(http://articles.mercola.com/sites/articles/archive/2007/08/18/drug-company-reps\

-are-using-p

> sychological-warfare-techniques-on-your-doctor.aspx?PageIndex=2)

>

> **************Access 350+ FREE radio stations anytime from anywhere on the

> web. Get the Radio Toolbar!

> (http://toolbar.aol.com/aolradio/download.html?ncid=emlcntusdown00000003)

>

>

>