Are doctors who take money from drug companies more likely to prescribe drugs than doctors who don't take money? Based on state data, a New York Times' analysis found a possible correlation:
"On average, Minnesota psychiatrists who received at least $5,000 from atypical makers from 2000 to 2005 appear to have written three times as many atypical prescriptions for children as psychiatrists who received less or no money.”
A Minnesota doctor prescribed a strong antipsychotic drug called Risperdal to cure a 12-year old girl’s eating disorder—though Risperdal was not FDA-approved for that purpose. After taking Risperdal, the girl gained weight and developed a “crippling knot in her back.” Now, she needs Botox shots to relax her back muscles, according to the New York Times.
The doctor who prescribed Risperdal to the girl had received $7,000 + from Risperdal’s manufacturer. NYT staff uncovered more coincidences:
“From 2000 to 2005, drug maker payments to Minnesota psychiatrists rose more than sixfold, to $1.6 million. During those same years, prescriptions of antipsychotics for children in Minnesota's Medicaid program rose more than ninefold. Those who took the most money from makers of atypicals tended to prescribe the drugs to children the most often, the data suggest.
Minnesota is the only state that requires doctors to fully disclose payments they receive from drug companies.
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