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Biotech / Medical : Pharma News Only (pfe,mrk,wla, sgp, ahp, bmy, lly)

PFE 25.44

+1.5%

Nov 18 3:59 PM EST

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To: Anthony Wong who wrote (1488)	3/3/1999 6:33:00 PM
From: Anthony Wong	Read Replies (1) of 1722

New York Post Editorial - A Thank You for Pharmaceuticals March 3, 1999 Psychiatric patients aren't chained to walls anymore, thank God. And that's largely due to the anonymous researchers at America's pharmaceutical corporations. Thanks to drugs such as Prozac, millions of depressed and anxious Americans can now function in society. So the revelation that New Yorkers in charge of testing new drugs on mental patients get payments and honoraria from the drug companies doesn't disturb us. Many psychiatrists and researchers in charge of testing drugs on state mental patients routinely receive speaking and consulting fees from firms such as Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Glaxo and Bristol Myers-Squibb. Many critics label this a conflict of interest. They're right only if you assume that they should be in a distanced or adversarial relationship to these companies - and that assumption smacks more of anti-business bias than it speaks to scientific independence. Look, leading scientists and researchers are in demand, their services sought by universities, government and private industry simultaneously. They are routinely paid for their time and expertise by all of these institutions. Severing the relationship between these fields in a quest for purity would be counterproductive. All such outside income must be disclosed, which is indeed how it came to light in the first place. Most of the researchers do work for many different companies, all of which are in competition with each other. The Food and Drug Administration ultimately passes on all drugs put on the market. The last thing a company wants is bad data that can't be replicated and won't pass FDA scrutiny. And a scientist who compromised his integrity in that way would soon find his reputation ruined. Finally, given the liability climate in this country, does anybody really believe that a drug company would try to play games in order to put out a harmful product? "There is no shortage of scientists who seek to find flaws in each others' work," says Dr. Fred Goodwin, a psychiatrist who formerly headed the National Institutes of Mental Health. "If somebody was putting out biased research, it would become evident very quickly." Pharmaceutical companies do the overwhelming majority of drug research in this country. They have done wonders - literal wonders - for people. They should be celebrated, not demonized. And the doctors and scientists who help them deserve a lot of credit too. nypostonline.com

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