Drug companies' hold on healthcare slammed

A research paper published in the European Journal of Clinical Investigation this month claims that patients worldwide are being deceived into taking drugs they don't need, don't work and put lives at risk. Co-author of the paper, Dr Emmanuel Stamatakis - Associate Professor at the University of Sydney said it was ''entirely illogical'' to rely on the pharmaceutical industry to fund medical research. The Crete-born professor, who is also a senior research associate at University College, London, told Neos Kosmos that whilst industry funding of research was necessary, the model of funding used needs to be radically overhauled. "The current system creates a culture of dependency between the sponsor of the trial, who wants favourable conclusions for their product, and the academic researcher who does the study, who needs funding to advance their career," said Dr Stamatakis. ''Asking corporate sponsors to conduct pivotal trials on their own products is like asking a painter to judge their own painting to receive an award.'' Dr Stamatakis - whose research interests include exploring how too little exercise affects cardiometabolic and mental health - cites as an example of the problem anti-diabetic drugs that increase the risk of heart problems, despite interventions like physical exercise being more effective. The anti-diabetic drug Rosiglitazone continues to be available in Australia despite being withdrawn in Europe and New Zealand after thousands of lawsuits were filed against ...
Source: PharmaGossip - Category: Pharma Commentators Authors: Source Type: blogs