Ghostwriting journal articles

It should come as no surprise to anyone that once again the NY Times has run a front page article on ghostwriting journal articles on the their business section.

By Richard Meyer on Aug 19, 2009

It should come as no surprise to anyone that once again the NY Times has run a front page article on ghostwriting journal articles on the their business section.  The summary is that the practice is more widespread and that now Congress is going to get into the fray to terminate ghostwriting of journal articles.  However is ghostwriting really that bad?


Many physicians either don't have the time to write major journal articles or are not good enough writers to have an article appear in a medical journal and therefore ghostwriting is a great way for them to get their names in print and support the findings of research.  However, some believe that physicians are willing to sell themselves to drug companies and have their names added to articles in exchange for money.  This is simply not true in most cases.  Most reputable drug companies will work with the physician to ensure that the article is in line with the physicians opinion and the conclusions of the research.  Sure there maybe some who will just sign off but I am willing to give physicians the benefit of the doubt here.


What drug companies and medical journals need to do though is to ensure that the credentials of all the parties are identified within the article along with their relationship to the sponsors.  Transparency is essential in today's marketplace and we all need to be upfront about relationships especially when it concerns medical information and someone is being compensated for their time.


The New York Times has continued its crusade against the drug industry for over two years now even though they were slapped by a judge who scolded them for releasing select documents concerning Zyprexa litigation, select document that the plaintiffs legal counsel was releasing to try an put pressure on Lilly to settle the case for big bucks.  Before calling for the end to ghost writing the TImes might have been better served by diving into the story more to find out exactly how physicians feel about the practice but it far more easier to point fingers when you have an agenda.