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New Aggressive Cholesterol Guidelines Questioned
After Reports on Drug Company Financial Support for Authors
July 17, 2004 - Consumer groups are aggressively
questioning the credibility of a government-backed group that has
recommended more
aggressive treatment of bad cholesterol with more drug therapy. The
doubts developed after it
was revealed that substantial financial support has been provided most
of the authors by the companies that
make the cholesterol drugs.
The only author not receiving
pharmaceutical company supports was the coordinator James Cleeman, M.D.
These charges began to emerge last
week after the nonprofit Center for Science in the Public Interest
released a study showing medical journals often fail to reveal the
financial conflicts of their authors. (Report
Faults Scientific Journals on Financial Disclosure)
Newsday was the first to
report on the financial ties on Thursday.
The
National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
reacted on Friday by posting on the Web information on the financial
support provided to the authors of the study they sponsored. It shows
that eight of the nine authors have received money from cholesterol drug
makers, including Pfizer Inc., Merck & Co., Bristol-Myers Squibb and
AstraZeneca LP. (Web
page - click here)
Financial Disclosure Released by
NHLBI
>> Dr. Grundy has received honoraria from Merck, Pfizer, Sankyo, Bayer,
Merck/Schering-Plough, Kos, Abbott, Bristol-Myers Squibb, and
AstraZeneca; he has received research grants from Merck, Abbott, and
Glaxo Smith Kline.
>> Dr. Cleeman has no financial relationships to disclose.
>> Dr. Bairey Merz has received lecture honoraria from Pfizer, Merck,
and Kos; she has served as a consultant for Pfizer, Bayer, and EHC
(Merck); she has received unrestricted institutional grants for
Continuing Medical Education from Pfizer, Procter & Gamble, Novartis,
Wyeth, AstraZeneca, and Bristol-Myers Squibb Medical Imaging; she has
received a research grant from Merck; she has stock in Boston
Scientific, IVAX, Eli Lilly, Medtronic, Johnson & Johnson, SCIPIE
Insurance, ATS Medical, and Biosite.
>> Dr. Brewer has received honoraria from AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Lipid
Sciences, Merck, Merck/Schering-Plough, Fournier, Tularik, Esperion, and
Novartis; he has served as a consultant for AstraZeneca, Pfizer, Lipid
Sciences, Merck, Merck/Schering-Plough, Fournier, Tularik, Sankyo, and
Novartis.
>> Dr. Clark has received honoraria for educational presentations from
Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Merck, and Pfizer; he has
received grant/research support from Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers
Squibb, Merck, and Pfizer.
>> Dr. Hunninghake has received honoraria for consulting and speakers
bureau from AstraZeneca, Merck, Merck/Schering-Plough, and Pfizer, and
for consulting from Kos; he has received research grants from
AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kos, Merck, Merck/Schering-Plough,
Novartis, and Pfizer.
>> Dr. Pasternak has served as a speaker for Pfizer, Merck,
Merck/Schering-Plough, Takeda, Kos, BMS-Sanofi, and Novartis; he has
served as a consultant for Merck, Merck/Schering-Plough, Sanofi, Pfizer
Health Solutions, Johnson & Johnson-Merck, and AstraZeneca.
>> Dr. Smith has received institutional research support from Merck; he
has stock in Medtronic and Johnson & Johnson.
>> Dr. Stone has received honoraria for educational lectures from
Abbott, AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Kos, Merck,
Merck/Schering-Plough, Novartis, Pfizer, Reliant, and Sankyo; he has
served as a consultant for Abbott, Merck, Merck/Schering-Plough, Pfizer,
and Reliant.
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/cholesterol/atp3upd04_disclose.htm
More:
Groups blast new cholesterol guidelines
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