Ghostwriters Lobbied For Hormone Therapy

Here is one more example of how badly the pharmaceutical companies need to be reined in. The New York Times is reporting that Wyeth hired ghostwriters to pen 26 articles that endorsed the use hormone therapy in women, while downplaying the negative side effects. The articles, published in influential medical journals between 1998 and 2005, did not adequately address the increased risk of cancer and dementia that accompanies hormone therapy. During that same time, sales of Wyeth's hormone drugs skyrocketed to nearly $2 billion. A federal study's findings contradicted the findings of the articles, and subsequently reduced the popularity among doctors of hormone therapy in women. Wyeth now faces a litany of lawsuits over the drugs. The documents shine a spotlight on a shady practice in which pharmaceutical companies will promote their drugs, even if it comes at the expense of patients' health.