Supporters of diabetes drug had financial ties to pharmaceutical company
According to a report from Mayo Clinic, most of the scientists who came out in support ofGlaxoSmithKline diabetes drug Avandia were actually financially tied to the pharmaceuticalcompany . The diabetes drug was linked to a far greater than average incidence of heart disease and death in a New England Journal of Medicine article .
The Mayo experts evaluated some 200 articles appearing after the initial diabetes news was published. They found that 90 per cent of the positive articles, commentaries and reviews were by experts with financial ties to Glaxo . The study was published in the British Medical Journal . Just 6 per cent of those who expressed positive opinions of the drug had no funding or fees from the industry .
The researchers were led by Amy Wang, a resident in internal medicine at the Mayo Clinic. She was reported as commenting: “We aimed to determine whether financial conflicts of interest with pharmaceutical manufacturers could be fuelling this fire. From our findings, it appears that the answer is yes. These findings, while not necessarily causal, underscore the need for further progress in reporting in order for the scientific record to be trusted.”
2009 Los Angeles Auto Show
If the North American auto show season has an official kickoff party, the Los Angeles Auto Show is it. In addition to world debuts of the 2011 Cadillac CTS Coupe, 2011 Toyota Sienna and VW Up! Lite Concept, the 2009 LA Auto Show again played host to the Green Car of the Year announcement, which went to a diesel car for the second year in a row. The LA Auto Show is also a first chance to see and touch the cars unveiled around the world in the eight months since the New York Auto Show, which this year included jaw-droppers like the 2011 Lexus LFA and 2011 Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG.
