http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/03/big-pharma-is-funding-patient-advocacy.html medical blog Sun, 22 Nov 2009 19:59:44 -0500 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.8.4 hourly 1 http://www.kevinmd.com/blog/2007/03/big-pharma-is-funding-patient-advocacy.html/comment-page-1#comment-73072 Lisa Wed, 21 Mar 2007 05:31:00 +0000 http://clients.emmense.com/kevinmd/2007/03/big-pharma-is-funding-patient-advocacy-non-profits.html#comment-73072 I testified before an advisory committee, and they asked every speaker to declare if anyone paid their expenses to be there or if they owned any stock in the company whose drug was in question. What's hard about that? I paid my own way to a meeting because it was that important to me, but I'm sure not everyone can afford to do so. And why is it that no one questions whether Public Citizen has a conflict? They complain that speakers don't represent the public, but they claim that their ideologically driven agenda represents "consumers" (they most certainly do NOT represent me!). But they could fund all the people they wanted to go to these meetings and still get a free pass becuase they claim to represent the public, while drug company money is somehow dirty. I testified before an advisory committee, and they asked every speaker to declare if anyone paid their expenses to be there or if they owned any stock in the company whose drug was in question. What’s hard about that? I paid my own way to a meeting because it was that important to me, but I’m sure not everyone can afford to do so. And why is it that no one questions whether Public Citizen has a conflict? They complain that speakers don’t represent the public, but they claim that their ideologically driven agenda represents “consumers” (they most certainly do NOT represent me!). But they could fund all the people they wanted to go to these meetings and still get a free pass becuase they claim to represent the public, while drug company money is somehow dirty.

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