Vioxx and Medical Ghostwriters

The New York Times today reported on a JAMA article about medical ghostwriting, raising questions about the integrity of pharmaceutical research studies published in medical journals.  Here’s how the Times account begins:

The drug maker Merck drafted dozens of research studies for a best-selling drug, then lined up prestigious doctors to put their names on the reports before publication, according to an article to be published Wednesday in a leading medical journal.

The article, based on documents unearthed in lawsuits over the pain drug Vioxx, provides a rare, detailed look in the industry practice of ghostwriting medical research studies that are then published in academic journals.

The article cited one draft of a Vioxx research study that was still in want of a big-name researcher, identifying the lead writer only as “External author?”

Here’s a link to the New York Times article, “Ghostwriters Used in Vioxx Studies, Article Says,” as well as one to the NYT link to the JAMA article itself.

HME