“… we have to recognize that the pharmaceutical industry has an irreducible conflict of interest in relation to the way it represents its drugs, in science and in marketing. And unless we can resolve this in a way that is more in the public interest and in patients’ interest, I would argue that drug companies should not be allowed to evaluate their own products.”
Fiona Godlee, testimony to the House of Commons,
Committee of Public Accounts,
June 2013
Committee of Public Accounts,
June 2013
Having lived through a few such things, I’ve learned that it takes more than a just cause. And it takes more than a lot of supporters. It needs a clear and reasoned voice. I think this is what such a voice sounds like. We could use such a voice on our side of the pond…
Yes! The voices of sober and professional critique of the industry are vital. You, Dr. Nardo, and your fellow professional commentators here are in truly revolutionary roles on behalf of the field of psychiatry and medicine, and on behalf of patients and survivors of poor psychiatric care and treatment. This is not a job for hyperbole and emotionalism, but for clarity, accuracy, and precise speech. It’s the job of responsible scientifically trained adults who think, write, read and critique like responsible and scientifically trained adults in a field that is part science, part marketing, and part a particular kind of woo (biological pharma-psychiatry and neurological imaging); and wholly consumed with it’s own brand of cynicism, solipsist thinking, and naked greed with little regard for its victims.