From STAT: Last month, Senator Claire McCaskill released a report showing that opioid manufacturers had funneled nearly $9 million to patient advocacy groups between 2012 and 2017. She now plans to introduce a bill that will require drug makers to disclose all donations to nonprofit organizations and patient advocacy groups.
“‘It’s a dream come true,’ said Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman, a professor of pharmacology at Georgetown University who runs Pharmed Out, a project that examines the influence drug makers have on the practice of medicine. ‘The industry has a long history of creating and corrupting advocacy organizations and this law could change one of their most effective marketing tools.’
‘Money buys opinions, but it also buys silence on key issues, such as drug harms and drug prices. Pharma-funded patient advocacy groups can do harm to public health. Funding of nonprofits is a black box. Knowing which groups get money from which companies tells us which groups should be ignored.'”
Article → (Behind paywall)
