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OVER PRESCRIBING AND LOW REPORTING OF SIDE-EFFECTS OF DANGEROUS AND OFTEN USELESS DRUGS BECAUSE OF BRIBES FROM THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY TO DOCTORS. In 1965 Brian Inglis, widely known for his television programmes What The Papers Say and All Our Yesterdays, wrote a book “Drugs, Doctors and Disease”. He pointed out that the drug industry was offering gifts to doctors, holidays etc. to prescribe more drugs. He also noted the gross overuse of antibiotics like chloramphenicol which is documented to cause aplastic anaemia (a precursor condition to cancers) and leukaemia was giving rise to superbugs. Brian Inglis also noted, as did Rachel Carson, the American biologist and author of “Silent Spring” 1965, that the drug and chemical industries threatened to withdrawn their advertising and revenue from any media who reported adversely on their products or activities. Dr. Joe Collier, a clinical pharmacologist in a London teaching hospital, in his book “The Health Conspiracy – How Doctors The Drug Industry and The Government Undermine Our Health” 1989, also reported the financial inducements from the drug industry to doctors to over prescribe. In his preface Dr. Collier says he is unable to thank all those who helped him with his book for fear of reprisals against them. A “Mail on Sunday” report dated 17th Dec. 1989 was headed “Drugs Firms Face Ban on Gifts for Doctors”. It was reported that drugs firms had bribed doctors to prescribe with trips on the Orient Express, free hampers and other gifts. The proposed ban on handouts, which was regarded as bribes by consumer groups, was reported as being supported by Mrs Thatcher. Since this report there have been countless reports in newspapers of bribes from the drug industry to doctors prescribe more and also that the doctors and medical scientists controlling the drug safety are also mostly in the pay of the drug industry. The Guardian 29.7.89, 5.1.90 & 18.12.90. The Independent 10.9.01 “Drug Firms Accused of Distorting Research” reported that 13 of the world leading medical journals, including The Lancet and the Journal of the American Medical Association, mount an outspoken attack on the rich and powerful drug companies, accusing them of distorting the results of medical research for the sake of profits. The editors of the journals intend to ask for a signed declaration that in future papers they print on medical research are that the research is not financed by the drug industry to promote drugs and exaggerating the benefits and playing down any side-effects. The Guardian reported on 27.12.02 that the Bush administration in the U.S. were to attempt to reduce the bribes from the drug industry to doctors to prescribe their drugs but the drug industry pointed out that the system is so embedded it would be distruptive to introduce the sort of code of practice proposed by the Government. The Times 3.6.03 “Drugs firms ‘are buying doctor’ support exposed how doctors were accepting bribes from the drug industry even though GP’s can earn £100,000 on their own. A Guardian report 15.10.03 “Drug Incentives Schemes Under Fire” The U.K. Government accused pharmaceutical firms of overstepping advertising and promotion rules”. These rules are clearly laid out in the ABPI (Association of British Pharmaceuticals Industries) “Data Sheets” book for chemists, hospitals and doctors. The Pharmaceutical Journal 2.11.96 reported on a large survey of patients admitted to hospital and found that of patients admitted because of adverse drug reactions only 6.3% of these reactions had been reported by their doctors on the yellow cards provided. The bribes are evidently not only for doctors to over prescribe but also for them not to report any side effects. Writing to The Royal Pharaceutical Society of Great Britain on over and wrong prescribing I received a reply in Jan., 1997 in which they admit “I am sure you are right to show a degree of scepticism towards the medical profession’s use of drugs” This from the organisation that together with the B.M.A. publishes the drug book that doctors in the U.K. prescribe from. There have been many recent reports on the many 1000’s of patients killed and injured annually in the U.K. and elsewhere by adverse drug reactions, 70,000 deaths per year was mentioned in one report in the Daily Mail on 9.12.03 “One in Ten Prescriptions is Wrong”. Says Sir Michael Rawlings of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence shows the level of wrong prescribing. The Daily Mail 8.12.2003 reported “Most Drugs are a Waste of Time admits Scientist”. The T.V. channels and many other papers reported that a pharmaceutical company boss and genetic expert Dr.Allen Roses of GlaxoSmith-Kline admitted, what many of us have known for years, that most drugs do not work, perhaps as low as on one third of patients. The Observer 3.4.2005 “Drugs Firms ‘Creating ills for Every Pill’ This report is of a House of Commons enquiry in which it was found that expensive new medicines are oversold when cheaper therapies or prevention would work better. The report found the drug industry pouring £billions into promoting new drugs with evidence of “disease mongering” drugs firms effectively inventing diseases. The report also criticises the secretive process of licensing drugs in the U.K. My files contain literally 100’s of these reports going back many years. We live in very interesting times. Is anyone prepared to take on the drug industry and medical profession and try to reduce the annual toll of tens of thousands of deaths and countless injuries which are hardly reported on at all caused by side-effects of drugs that are often wrongly and grossly over prescribed and mostly have no beneficial effects? The most serious conditions like Parkinson’s, diabetes, blood disorders which are precursor conditions to cancers caused by around 200 drugs, thyroid disorders and cancers, all documented in medical textbooks and papers to be caused by prescribed drugs, are probably not reported at all. It is becoming increasing obvious to everyone that the medical profession and politicians have sold the health care of the public to the drug industry. There is an old French proverb which says most men die of their medicines not their illness. |
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