Was Dr. Drew Paid to Talk Up Antidepressant Drug?
SodaHead News
2012/07/04 17:00:00
|
|
|||||
|
163 votes
|
|
84% | |||
|
30 votes
|
|
16% | |||
Besides Dr. Phil and Dr. Ruth, Dr. Drew Pinsky just might be the most famous TV doctor of all time. A board-certified internist, Dr. Drew has made a name for himself over the years -- first as host of the still-running syndicated radio advice show “Loveline” and then on VH1 as the addicted D-list star wrangler on “Celebrity Rehab with Dr. Drew.”
Now, every time Lindsay Lohan or Charlie Sheen gets into trouble, Pinsky pops up on an entertainment or news program to give his objective, if not fully informed, opinion. Needless to say, he’s on TV a lot. But reports have surfaced that Dr. Drew may have pushed the antidepressant Wellbutrin to listeners back in June of 1999.
Apparently, Dr. Drew praised the drug (as well as some others) on “Loveline,” saying, it "may enhance or at least not suppress sexual arousal." What fans didn’t know was that Pinksky had received payments totaling $275,000 from a communications firm that worked for the pill’s parent company GlaxoSmithKline a couple of months earlier.
This has all come to light in the midst of the U.S. Justice Department’s announcement of a $3 billion criminal and civil settlement with Glaxo over illegal drug marketing and wooing doctors with cash and exotic trips.
Now, every time Lindsay Lohan or Charlie Sheen gets into trouble, Pinsky pops up on an entertainment or news program to give his objective, if not fully informed, opinion. Needless to say, he’s on TV a lot. But reports have surfaced that Dr. Drew may have pushed the antidepressant Wellbutrin to listeners back in June of 1999.
Apparently, Dr. Drew praised the drug (as well as some others) on “Loveline,” saying, it "may enhance or at least not suppress sexual arousal." What fans didn’t know was that Pinksky had received payments totaling $275,000 from a communications firm that worked for the pill’s parent company GlaxoSmithKline a couple of months earlier.
This has all come to light in the midst of the U.S. Justice Department’s announcement of a $3 billion criminal and civil settlement with Glaxo over illegal drug marketing and wooing doctors with cash and exotic trips.
In a statement issued by his publicist, Dr. Drew said that the dough he received was an educational grant from Glaxo Wellcome (which later merged with GlaxoSmithKline). He claims he got the cash for a two-year initiative focused on intimacy and depression. What do you think: Was Dr. Drew paid to talk up the antidepressant drug?
Read More: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/dr-drew-paid...
Top Opinion
-
Calm down! 2012/07/05 01:24:11Yes
+7Yes! Some doctor's out there are worse than drug dealers. They want you to take a pill for everything. They seem like salesman now with the latest drug. It's all about money folks!
I would be shocked to find ANY doctor who is not getting lots of attention from the pharma sales force.
Notice how Obamacare changes none of this. The winners are Big Pharma, hospitals, MDs, and insurance companies. http://www.economywatch.com/e...
Dr. Ruth did not just bring her advice, she also brought her bag of sex toys to sell. http://bloglikeitshot.files.w... https://s3.amazonaws.com/asse...
That doesn't necessarily mean that he did it in an unethical manner. If he would have recommended the medication regardless of the money, then I don't see receiving compensation from the manufacturer as being unethical.
They paid him to promote their drug. If he was already promoting it before they paid him, or he would be recommending it without their pay, then it's not unethical.
I'm not saying this happened. I'm saying that it is possible.
In my opinion all doctors and health professionals should be banned from receiving any incentives and gifts from suppliers of drugs