Drug Maker Caught Ghostwriting Articles For Physicians
Drug manufacturer GlaxoSmithKline has apparently been caught using a ghostwriting program to promote its antidepressant Paxil. The program allowed doctors to take credit for medical journal articles mainly written by company consultants.
Documents obtained through discovery in a civil lawsuit exposed the program. In one document, an internal company memo, salespeople were instructed to approach physicians and offer to help them write and publish articles about their positive experiences prescribing the drug. The document explains how the company can help physicians with everything from ''developing a topic,'' to ''submitting the manuscript for publication.'' The program was code named CASSPER by the company.
The document was discovered , by Plaintiff lawyers representing hundreds of former Paxil users in personal injury and wrongful death suits against GlaxoSmithKline. The firm alleges the company downplayed several risks connected with its drug, including increased suicidal behavior and birth defects.
According to the document, which dates from April 2000, the CASPPER program was designed to ''strengthen the product positioning and overcome competitive issues.'' At the time, Paxil was competing with rival antidepressant like Eli Lilly's Prozac and Pfizer's Zoloft. Paxil has since lost its patent protection and competes against cheaper generic versions. Sales of Paxil last year totaled $849 million.
The use of ghostwriting by drug companies has come under increased scrutiny by members of Congress, including Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, a longtime critic of the industry's influence over physicians. Grassley and Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wis., are pushing a bill that would require companies to disclose all payments to physicians over $100.
Articles from the company's program appeared in five journals between 2000 and 2002, including the American Journal of Psychiatry and the Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry.
Drug company salespeople often present medical journal articles to physicians as independent proof that their drugs are safe and effective.
