MEDICINE IS BROKEN

Medicine is Broken

Medicine is Broken

Introduction

This essay will present an in-depth summary and analysis of why the problem of dodgy Marketing practices on the part of the drug companies have negative affects on doctors and the general public alike. In the process, the discussion will explore how far Goldacre's list of solutions can be implemented in reality with regard to the causes-and-effects of dodgy marketing practices.

Manipulation by the pharmaceutical industry is a growing problem of clinical research and publications. Experts are now asking for tighter policy by the editors. If it turns out, the research is based on manipulated data; such studies should be withdrawn in order to avoid further damage. Unlike in the daily press, in the refutations and corrections are protected legally, in the medical press, there is no compulsion for the correction. It is precisely the pharmaceutical journalism in recent years have been increasingly targeted economic interests. Repair and universal rules do need, experts say - and warn of the potential serious consequences of tampering in drug research.

Discussion & Analysis

In many of the publicized cases of influence are behind economic interests of stakeholders. The magazine refers to anonymous surveys showing that up to 34 percent of the scientists' change of design, methodology or results of a study at the request of the sponsor or pressure to admit. At the same time the problem of explosive gains, says the drug telegram: Were the early 2000s, only few studies collected as there are more than 50 of the 2009 in the U.S. medical database PubMed listed work was. By conscious changes in results always increases the risk of medical errors because doctors rely in treatment decisions to specialist publications.

Researchers admit that the ongoing clinical trials in the UK do not include a sufficient number of patients to guarantee the reliability and effectiveness of many treatments. In an article published in The Journal of The American Medical Association, the authors of the study, sponsored by the Institute for Translational Medicine at Duke University point out that the small number of patients that are part of clinical trials, usually between 50 and 80 patients, not possible to confirm clinical evidence and determine the effectiveness of treatments. The conclusions reached arise from an extensive analysis of 96,346 clinical trials conducted in the United States between 2007 and 2010 covering patients with cardiovascular problems, mental health problems and oncology. The results show that in most cases (62%), tests included fewer than 100 patients, compared to only 4% of that provided the use thousand participants.

The average number of participants stood in 58 tests completed and those registered in 70 but were never finalized, numbers, according to the authors, may call into question reliable medical recommendations. In essence, the concept of marketing is today still very blurry. Many associate it with selling products in any way, even if people do not want. Others believe that it was a way to make people buy what they do not need, with money they do not ...