The advent of evidence based medicine was a paradigm shift intended to provide a solid scientific foundation for medicine. The validity of this new paradigm, however, depends on reliable data from clinical trials, most of which are conducted by the pharmaceutical industry and reported in the names of senior academics. The release into the public domain of previously confidential pharmaceutical industry documents has given the medical community valuable insight into the degree to which industry sponsored clinical trials are misrepresented. Until this problem is corrected, evidence based medicine will remain an illusion.
Please go to the article and read the whole thing - it’s only short. The authors propse the following reforms:
liberation of regulators from drug company funding;
taxation imposed on pharmaceutical companies to allow public funding of independent trials;
anonymised individual patient level trial data posted, along with study protocols, on suitably accessible websites so that third parties, self-nominated or commissioned by health technology agencies, could rigorously evaluate the methodology and trial results.
If they don't get kick-backs and are still acting the way they do - that's even more disappointing than knowing that their criminal behavior is motivated by financial rewards!
Seriously though I think the bigger influence for doctors is coercion and threats by registration boards. For the researchers and universities, however, I'd say it's the money.
BUT, I've not read the book in question, and I'm not a medical doctor, so don't want to be dogmatic on why they do what they do. RFK Jr and his book on Fauci clearly outlines the coercive control of power brokers in the biomed research fields.
The proposed reforms are a good first step, but I suspect the organized sociopathy of Big Pharma would find a way to subvert them even so.
Other reforms that might have an impact:
- banning for-profit organizations from drug development, and requiring them instead to operate as non-profit foundations that reinvest all revenues in R&D
- breaking up any medical corporation that exceeds a certain threshold in market cap
- banning pharmaceutical advertising
- my personal favorite: applying the death penalty to executives and board members who knowingly falsify research, corrupt the regulatory process, etc., and thereby kill patients
A mass execution or three would focus the attention of pharma executives on prosocial imperatives admirably.
The challenge will be what is already our biggest obstacle, corrupted government, the money laundering syndicate that has lost all semblance of integrity and legitimacy.
The government makes the rules, that those who've amassed the capital want. And that capital is then doled out as "campaign donation" to the power brokers who follow orders.
Until that circular chain is broken, things are unlikely to change.
Indeed. As with all the problems that bedevil us, it all comes back to the central problem: the collapse of virtue, and the rise of bought men to positions of influence. Until the cowardly and venal are removed from power (or power is removed from them), nothing else can really be repaired.
Thank you for sharing this. It is good to know that there are some honest academics and physicians. I can hardly believe that BMJ published this.
The incestual cesspool of so called academia, medicine, industry, supposed regulatory bodies and NGO's is mind boggling. "for example, physicians are selected based on their influence on prescribing habits of other physicians.7" These KOL's (key opinion leaders) then become "product champions," and the fact that there exists an actual "criteria used to develop influence score" table is beyond comprehension. I and the public hold individual physicians to high standards. Knowing they are so corruptible is sickening.
The references for this paper is a treasure trove of information.
The whole system is rather like a white washed grave, pretty on its surface and pure corruption throughout its depths.
I did a deep dive into evidence based medicine a few years back. It started with such noble intentions. And then it got completely hijacked by Pharma. Now medicine is more hierarchical and LESS informed by science than ever before. Standards of care have become genocidal protocols that only benefit Pharma. The total intellectual and moral collapse of allopathic medicine over the last few decades is one of the most tragic things I've ever witnessed. Thank you for drawing our attention to these two authors.
Thanks Toby - Jon is in Adelaide - I was pleased to see a fellow Australian with such views and willing to speak out. Actually I think the two of you would get on very well.
I have heard tell of a related illusion being that Doctors don't get kick-backs. 🙄
If they don't get kick-backs and are still acting the way they do - that's even more disappointing than knowing that their criminal behavior is motivated by financial rewards!
Seriously though I think the bigger influence for doctors is coercion and threats by registration boards. For the researchers and universities, however, I'd say it's the money.
BUT, I've not read the book in question, and I'm not a medical doctor, so don't want to be dogmatic on why they do what they do. RFK Jr and his book on Fauci clearly outlines the coercive control of power brokers in the biomed research fields.
The fascists would never agree to that!
The proposed reforms are a good first step, but I suspect the organized sociopathy of Big Pharma would find a way to subvert them even so.
Other reforms that might have an impact:
- banning for-profit organizations from drug development, and requiring them instead to operate as non-profit foundations that reinvest all revenues in R&D
- breaking up any medical corporation that exceeds a certain threshold in market cap
- banning pharmaceutical advertising
- my personal favorite: applying the death penalty to executives and board members who knowingly falsify research, corrupt the regulatory process, etc., and thereby kill patients
A mass execution or three would focus the attention of pharma executives on prosocial imperatives admirably.
Excellent proposals.
The challenge will be what is already our biggest obstacle, corrupted government, the money laundering syndicate that has lost all semblance of integrity and legitimacy.
The government makes the rules, that those who've amassed the capital want. And that capital is then doled out as "campaign donation" to the power brokers who follow orders.
Until that circular chain is broken, things are unlikely to change.
Indeed. As with all the problems that bedevil us, it all comes back to the central problem: the collapse of virtue, and the rise of bought men to positions of influence. Until the cowardly and venal are removed from power (or power is removed from them), nothing else can really be repaired.
Totally - foundations - moral foundations - will take generations to instil I'd think.
Sound like the planned economy of the USSR.
First: not really, I'm really suggesting anti-monopolistic practices combined with ... powerful motivations, shall we say, to remain honest.
Second: whatever works, man. I'm not an ideologue.
Third: the incestuous nature of Big Pharma and the regulatory state is every bit as planned as any Five Year Plan.
Thank you for sharing this. It is good to know that there are some honest academics and physicians. I can hardly believe that BMJ published this.
The incestual cesspool of so called academia, medicine, industry, supposed regulatory bodies and NGO's is mind boggling. "for example, physicians are selected based on their influence on prescribing habits of other physicians.7" These KOL's (key opinion leaders) then become "product champions," and the fact that there exists an actual "criteria used to develop influence score" table is beyond comprehension. I and the public hold individual physicians to high standards. Knowing they are so corruptible is sickening.
The references for this paper is a treasure trove of information.
The whole system is rather like a white washed grave, pretty on its surface and pure corruption throughout its depths.
Yes I was pleased BMJ published this as well - if anything it's great marketing for their book! There's hope ;-)
I did a deep dive into evidence based medicine a few years back. It started with such noble intentions. And then it got completely hijacked by Pharma. Now medicine is more hierarchical and LESS informed by science than ever before. Standards of care have become genocidal protocols that only benefit Pharma. The total intellectual and moral collapse of allopathic medicine over the last few decades is one of the most tragic things I've ever witnessed. Thank you for drawing our attention to these two authors.
Thanks Toby - Jon is in Adelaide - I was pleased to see a fellow Australian with such views and willing to speak out. Actually I think the two of you would get on very well.