American Addict Page #5

WHERE THE DRUG COMPANIES ARE

SPONSORING PROGRAMS TO GO INTO

OUR SCHOOLS TO MONITOR OUR KIDS

AND FIND OUT WHO MAY BE HAVING

A PROBLEM. SO THAT THEY CAN BE

EVALUATED PSYCHIATRICALLY AND

SENT OFF TO CLINICS WHERE.

GUESS WHAT THEY'LL GET?

PILLS.

PEOPLE WILL BE MUCH LESS

PRONE TO SLIP THROUGH THE

CRACKS. BECAUSE WE HAVE FORCES

OPERATING ON THE FAMILY. ON THE

SCHOOLS. THE WORKPLACE,

TO GUARANTEE. IN A SENSE,

THAT THE OVERMEDICALIZATION OF

SOCIETY TAKES PLACE.

THE GOVERNMENT MONEY AND THE

GOVERNMENT RULES AND REGULATIONS

PROGRAM TO DEVELOP THE MODEL

WHERE THEY WANT TO GO.

SO. FOR EXAMPLE, WHEN I FIRS MOVED TO TENNESSEE. I HAD A

FRIEND WHO HAD JUST RETIRED FROM

TEACHING.

AND SO MANY PARENTS WOULD LOBBY

HER TO PUT HER--TO SAY THAT THE

CHILDREN NEEDED RITALIN. AND THE

REASON WAS. IF THEY GOT THE KIDS

ON RITALIN. THEY COULD GE A DISABILITY PAYMENT FROM SOCIAL

SECURITY.

IT WAS AN OVERNIGH TRANSFORMATION AT HARVARD.

BECAUSE HARVARD WAS CUTTING

EDGE.

AND IN PSYCHIATRY. WE SEE THIS

PHENOMENA THAT THE BEST IS THE

WORST. THAT THE MOST CUTTING

EDGE PSYCHIATRY. LIKE HARVARD TO

THIS DAY. IS THE PSYCHIATRY THA TAKES THE MOST MONEY FROM THE

DRUG COMPANIES. THAT HAS THE

MOST INTIMATE RELATIONSHIPS WITH

THE FEDERAL GOVERNMENT.

BUT THERE'LL BE SOMEONE A A MEDICAL SCHOOL TEACHING

MEDICAL SCHOOL STUDENTS.

TEACHING RESIDENTS. BU POCKETING $50.000

OR $100.000 A YEAR FOR BEING A

CONSULTANT TO THE DRUG COMPANY

AND GIVING TALKS.

WELL. THEY'RE NOT GONNA BE

A CONSULTANT AND THEY'RE NO GONNA GET PAID TO GIVE TALKS

UNLESS THEY ARE KNOWN TO BE

FAVORABLE TO THAT COMPANY

AND ITS PRODUCT.

SO THAT THERE ARE A NUMBER OF

PEOPLE IN ACADEMIC MEDICINE.

DOING TEACHING.

BEING "PRESTIGIOUS."

WHO ARE INFLUENCED BY THE VAS AMOUNTS OF MONEY THAT THEY THINK

THEY NEED TO GET FROM THE DRUG

INDUSTRY.

FOR EXAMPLE. AT HARVARD,

IT'S JOSEPH BIEDERMAN WHO

PERSONALLY CAUSED A REVOLUTION

IN THE TREATMENT OF CHILDREN BY

DEFINING MORE AND MORE CHILDREN

AS BIPOLAR SO THAT THESE KIDS

WOULD BE GIVEN PSYCHIATRIC DRUGS

THAT WERE SUITABLE ONLY FOR

ADULTS LIKE LITHIUM AND ABILIFY

AND SEROQUEL.

PILLS. PILLS, PILLS FOR CHILDREN

IS THE THEME THAT COMES OUT OF

THE HARVARD PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY

PROGRAM.

I BLEW THE WHISTLE ON BIEDERMAN

YEARS AGO AS SOMEONE GETTING

HUGE MONEY FROM THE DRUG

COMPANIES. BUT IT TOOK A WHILE

FOR THE WHISTLE TO REACH

WASHINGTON. AND NOW THERE HAVE

BEEN HEARINGS. AND IT'S BEEN

DISCOVERED THAT JOSEPH BIEDERMAN

WAS GETTING A LOT MORE MONEY

THAN HE ADMITTED FROM THE DRUG

COMPANIES TO PUSH DRUGS ON

AMERICA'S CHILDREN.

THERE WAS A PROFESSOR A HARVARD LAST YEAR WHO HAD GOTTEN

MORE THAN $100.000 IN THE

PREVIOUS YEAR FROM THE DRUG

INDUSTRY. AND HARVARD INSTITUTED

A RULE THAT SAYS YOU CAN'T BE IN

THE FACULTY AND GET THAT KIND OF

MONEY FROM THE DRUG INDUSTRY.

SO HE SAID. "I WANT MY $100,000.

SO I'M LEAVING THE HARVARD

FACULTY.

I WENT ONTO THE NATIONAL

INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH.

SPENT TWO YEARS THERE. AND I WAS

THERE AS THE TRANSFORMATION WAS

HITTING NIMH.

WHEN I ARRIVED. THE NATIONAL

INSTITUTE OF MENTAL HEALTH WAS

BASICALLY A PSYCHOSOCIALLY

ORIENTED INSTITUTION IN 1966

AND '68.

BUT IT WAS THE BEGINNING OF THE

TRANSFORMATION OF NIMH INTO AN

ARM OF THE DRUG COMPANIES.

WE WOULD LATER DISCOVER THAT THE

DRUG COMPANIES ACTUALLY HAD

CONDUITS FOR GIVING MONEY TO

NIMH TO DO RESEARCH ON THE DRUG

COMPANIES' DRUGS.

IT'S ALL VERY. VERY INTIMATE

AND TIED TOGETHER.

THE PROFESSION WAS MOVING

HELL-BENT TO BEING LITERALLY AN

ARM OF THE DRUG COMPANIES.

WHY HAVE REGULATORY AGENCIES

BEEN CO-OPTED BY VESTED

INTERESTS THAT IS MOSTLY

INDUSTRY INTERESTS?

AND THAT'S BECAUSE THE INDUSTRY

IS--IS EVER-PRESENT.

I DON'T HAVE TO DOCUMENT THE

FACT THAT INDUSTRY LOBBYISTS

LOBBY CONGRESS EVERY DAY AND

VERY POWERFULLY. AND THEY GIVE

MONEY TO CAMPAIGNS.

IN TURN. CONGRESSPEOPLE

INFLUENCE THE REGULATORY

AGENCIES.

I THINK WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE

THAT ARE LOBBYING THAT HAVE A

LOT OF MONEY THAT THEY CAN THROW

AROUND. THEY GET FACE TIME,

AND THAT'S IMPORTANT.

THEY GET FACE TIME WITH THE

DECISION MAKERS. BECAUSE THEY'RE

ABLE TO DO CERTAIN THINGS FROM

A FINANCIAL STANDPOINT.

THE CONGRESS HAS. SEEMINGLY

REFLECTING THE PUBLIC INTEREST--

ALTHOUGH I'M NOT SURE THE PUBLIC

HAS REALLY WEIGHED IN ON IT--

DECIDING TO UNDERFUND THE FDA.

LEAVING THE FDA AT THE MERCY OF

INDUSTRY FUNDING SO THA COMPANIES PAY LARGE FEES LIKE

$1/4 MILLION--THAT'S--

WHEN I SAY A FEE. I MEAN A LO OF MONEY FOR THE--FOR THE

REGULATOR TO REVIEW ITS OWN

DRUG. WHICH IS A BALD CONFLIC OF INTEREST.

I MEAN. THE DRUG INDUSTRY HAS

GREATLY REPLACED THE TOBACCO

INDUSTRY AS THE MOST POWERFUL

LOBBY IN WASHINGTON.

THEY PRETTY MUCH GET THEIR WAY.

TO A POINT WHERE THE CONSUMER

DOESN'T HAVE MUCH OF A CHANCE.

SO THE POWER IS VIRTUALLY

COMPLETELY ONE-SIDED ON THE SIDE

OF THE MARKET. ANTI-REGULATORY.

LET THE DOCTOR DO WHAT THE

DOCTOR WANTS TO DO BECAUSE

THE DOCTOR KNOWS BEST. WHEN,

IN FACT. THERE'S NO WAY THE

PHYSICIAN CAN KNOW WHAT TO DO

BECAUSE THERE'S SO MUCH

KNOWLEDGE OUT THERE THAT THEY'RE

VERY VULNERABLE TO PRESSURE

BY INDUSTRY LOBBYISTS.

SO IT'S IN THE NATURE OF

THE BEAST.

IT'S IN THE NATURE OF THE GROWTH

IN KNOWLEDGE. THE GROWTH IN

INFORMATION SYSTEMS. WHICH CAN

BE DISTORTED BY PEOPLE WHO STAND

TO EARN A LOT OF MONEY.

MOUNT SINAI HAD A PRESCRIBER

EDUCATION GRANT THROUGH THE

ATTORNEY GENERAL OF THE STATE OF

OREGON. AND THESE GRANTS WERE

FUNDED TO TEACH PHYSICIANS ABOU THE PHARMACEUTICAL INDUSTRY.

AND THE MONEY CAME FROM A

CLASS-ACTION LAWSUIT ON BEHALF

OF MEDICAID ORGANIZATIONS FROM

A BUNCH OF DIFFERENT STATES

RELATED TO THE IMPROPER

MARKETING OF NEURONTIN

OR GABAPENTIN. WHICH IS A DRUG

FOR--USED FOR SEIZURES AND PAIN.

THE DRUG NEURONTIN WAS

ILLEGALLY MARKETED FOR

UNAPPROVED USES. INCLUDING

TREATMENT FOR BIPOLAR DISORDER.

NEURONTIN HAS NO PROVEN BENEFITS

FOR THIS CONDITION. WHICH LEF THOSE TAKING THIS DRUG

ESSENTIALLY UNTREATED.

AND IT WAS FOUND THAT THE

COMPANY BASICALLY

INAPPROPRIATELY MARKETED.

AND THEY SETTLED WITH A LOT OF

MONEY. AND PART OF THAT MONEY

WAS USED TO FUND EDUCATIONAL

PROJECTS.

SO THAT'S HOW I FIRST BECAME

INTERESTED IN THIS ISSUE.

AS AN OFFSHOOT OF THAT GRANT.

WE--MY COLLEAGUES AND I DID

A RESEARCH PROJECT LOOKING A THE ADHERENCE OF PRIN ADVERTISEMENTS TO FDA

GUIDELINES.

THE BREADTH AND DEPTH TO

WHICH COMPANIES ARE INVOLVED IN

TRAINING AND EDUCATION. AND SOME

OF IT IS QUITE INDIRECT.

AND SOME IS QUITE DIRECT.

YEAH. BECAUSE IT SUPPORTS

A LOT OF ACADEMIA. AND THERE

HAVE BEEN MANY. MANY, MANY

WRITINGS ON THE FACT THA PHYSICIANS HAVE BEEN PAID TO GO

TO MEETINGS. HAVE BEEN PAID TO

SAY CERTAIN THINGS AT MEETINGS.

TO NOT SAY CERTAIN THINGS A MEETINGS.

I MYSELF HAVE BEEN DISINVITED

FROM MEETINGS.

THERE WAS A STUDY NOT TOO

LONG AGO OF HOW COMPANIES USE

THE HIGH GROSS PROFITS FROM

THEIR HIGH PRICES. AND I INCLUDED DOCUMENTING 371.000

PROFESSIONAL MEETINGS A YEAR FOR

DOCTORS.

NOW THERE ARE ONLY 1/2 MILLION

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