Doctors Rely on Spun Studies

A new study just out, published in the American Journal of Psychiatry shows that doctors prescribe less effective, more expensive medicines to treat common psychiatric illnesses.

Doctors base their decisions on studies paid for by the companies producing the drugs. When five drugs were tested against each other in various studies, the most effective drug was shown to be the one marketed by the company paying for the drug. Boy, am I ever surprised!

A more objective study, not funded by a drug company, found that two drugs that are least prescribed are actually the most effective for at elast one illness. These drugs, clozapine and perphenazine, are not under patent.

The five drugs studied are only worth around ten billion dollars, a tiny drop in the ocean of the nation's healthcare expense. What is not a drop in the bucket is that industry sponsored studies are used in many branches of medicine.

One can only hope the drive for evidence based treatment programs grows stronger. In the meantime, who can blame us for doubting we are actually getting the right medicine for our ailments?