Drug Companies Influence Drug Decisions: New Podcast Posted!

Hi everyone! In episode 91 of my podcast Causes or Cures, I interviewed Dr. Lisa Parker about her research on how drug companies influence drug and therapeutic decisions in hospitals. Dr. Parker is a clinician specializing in oncology (cancer) and a researcher. Her area of research focuses on public health ethics and policy, specifically the influence of values, evidence and industry on healthcare policy. She is based in Australia and her research is related to Australia’s Drug and Therapeutic Committees that make decisions about what drugs and therapeutics are purchased and used in hospitals. In the podcast she gives a detailed description of Drug and Therapeutic Committees and why they are important while also describing several ways drug companies influence their decisions. She also discusses things the committees have set up in an effort to curb industry’s influence, but then goes on to mention how industry is able to get around those things. Finally, she offers advice on what we can do to improve the system.

This podcast is part of my “Causes or Cures” goal for 2022, which is to focus on industry’s influence on healthcare, public health and health policy. There is a tremendous lack of trust in conventional sources of science, and my theory is that part of the lack of trust is industry’s web of influence. (You’ll find out why I call it a web in an upcoming podcast with a UK researcher who researched a similar topic.) I think we need to acknowledge that industry has a hand in health and policy, talk about it and its relationship to bodies of evidence, practice and the public’s trust.  The other two topics I’m focusing on for 2022 are obesity and the opioid epidemic, because both are out of control, so I figure I’ll use my lil’ grassroots health podcast to at least initiate ideas, build awareness and have conversations with smart people around the globe. I want to stress that I’m “taking this podcast” global, so while we often only get fed US-conducted research results in the US, I’m branching out and reaching out to researchers and stakeholders in other countries to hear their public-health related ideas as well. And of course, I will sprinkle in other topics. For example, I just finished reading Father Stephen Rossetti’s book, Diary of An American Exorcist, and he is coming on the podcast on Thursday to answer questions about what it’s like to be an Exorcist.

After you listen to Drug Companies Influence Drug Decisions, you can try this podcast that dives into a new approach for obesity and binge eating disorder with a great researcher in Norway. Or you can listen to this one on how to survive a nuclear bomb with my friend and nuclear radiation guru Dr. Andy Karam. Dr. Karam used to work with the NYPD’s counterterrorism unit, and I always felt safe knowing that. The guy is smart.  I recorded that podcast two years ago, but it has received the most downloads in the last two weeks because Russia invaded Ukraine and has used threatening speech about nuclear war. Related to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, I also recorded a podcast with Andy on why we need to use nuclear power. Have you seen gas prices now? Yeah. Not good. America is all about its “rapid responses”, but we suck at prevention. You can listen to that episode here.  I have to get back to work, but I hope you guys tune in, subscribe and please message me ideas for podcast guests and hosts.

Also, my podcast is a side project: a passion project so to speak. I do not get paid for doing it nor do I make any money from it. I find all the guests, read articles and do the appropriate research for each guest, write the questions, schedule it around work hours, record, edit and finally post it. I apologize that it takes me a while to get an episode up sometimes, but it’s really just me doing everything. I have 6 episodes recorded right now and my goal is to push them out this week and next. Thanks for understanding. – Eeks (Erin).

Drug Companies Influence Drug Decisions: Listen here now!

From the health blog:

My latest: The United States of Comorbidities