[e-drug] Drug company secretly briefed medical societies on HRT

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E-drug: Drug company secretly briefed medical societies on HRT
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BMJ 326:1161 (31 May 2003)

Drug company secretly briefed medical societies on HRT 
Ray Moynihan 
Washington, DC 

Pharmaceutical giant Wyeth has admitted that it secretly briefed a
number of medical societies about the results of a study into
hormone replacement therapy (HRT) and dementia before they
were published this week. 

On Wednesday JAMA published the study, funded by Wyeth,
which shows that the company's combined oestrogen and
progestogen pill doubled the risk of dementia among elderly
women from about 1% to 2% over five years. The latest data on
dementia come after findings last year which showed that long term
use of the drug slightly increases the risks of breast cancer, heart
attacks, and strokes in healthy women aged over 50 years (JAMA
2002;288: 321-33). 

The company's briefings of outside bodies has caused grave
concern in the research community, including among the
researchers who conducted the study, although Wyeth is standing
by its actions. 

"Under a written confidentiality agreement Wyeth medical
personnel shared a limited and balanced summary report of the
data with a senior medical expert at certain critical medical
societies," said Dr Victoria Kusiak, the company's North American
medical director. "These discussions were meant to allow those
individuals to respond knowledgeably to their constituents, at the
time the [study] data became public." 

Normally, strictly embargoed copies of peer reviewed journal
articles are distributed to news organisations several days before
publication to help in the preparation of stories. However, Wyeth's
briefings to medical societies happened long before embargoed
copies of the article were distributed. 

With top quality randomised controlled trials showing that its HRT
causes harm, Wyeth has been forced to concede that its product
increases the long term risks of blood clots, strokes, heart attacks,
and breast cancer, while fighting hard to maintain mass markets for
short term relief of symptoms. 

This week the company's public relations strategy has been to play
down the significance of the findings on dementia for younger
users, stressing that women in the latest study were over 65 years
old. 
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