I've written before about the fine line that some doctors draw between their financial interests and medical talents. Today's NY Times has another illustration of this issue.
Some doctors who had invested in a company that made an artificial spinal disk, Prodisc, conducted clinical trials which were used to get FDA approval. The trial compared the results for 162 patients who received the artificial disc with the results for 80 who had a spinal fusion. However, the results for Prodisc did not include 50 people who were used to train doctors in implanting the device. Nor, for reasons unknown, did it include another 21 people who had the device implanted. Also, some oif the doctors did not disclose their financial investment.
Impartial investigation?
1 comment:
NPR had a program about pharmaceutical gifts to doctors and one clinic (or it could have been a group) gathered them all up and they had 20 grocery carts of token gifts. I cannot believe they do it because it doesn't work.
Another thing I found interesting (read a book and can't find the title) was the business of body parts and the funeral industry. In order to train doctors in techniques using their products, they need shoulders, knees, spines etc, so they arrange to get them from funeral directors who run cremetoriams. Lots of money for folks and the family gets the bill.
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