This blog has previously noted the role of patient groups in lobbying for the use of new drugs in the NHS, and the financial relationships that can exist between them and the pharmaceutical industry. Such relationships should be transparent, but are often not noted in “Patient group demands drug X stories”.
Some of you may be familiar with Dr John Briffa, a doctor who has abandoned the challenging world of evidence-based medicine to embrace a career as a media doctor with an apparently thriving private practice in “nutritional and naturally-oriented medicine”. He advocates dietary treatment for autism with little evidence, lends his name to weird vitamin supplements for diabetes (hold that thought), and is, despite all the evidence to the contrary, still convinced that MMR vaccine is linked to autism. Perhaps most damningly of all, Dr Briffa is taken seriously by Prince Charles.
Dr Briffa has now also turned his attention to patient groups, in particular Diabetes UK. Dr Briffa is slow on the uptake. I left an electronic response concerning Diabetes UK on the BMJ website 5 years ago:
Diabetes UK are reported in the BBC-online’s Health section to be opposing the NICE guidance on the use of glitazones in Type 2 Diabetes. NICE advise that glitazones should be reserved until other treatments have been tried, such as sulphonylureas and metformin.
Diabetes UK’s spokesperson said: “Doctors and patients need to have access to the treatments that are best for them. Today’s ruling will deny that.”
“Diabetes is costing the NHS millions of pounds a day, much of which is spent on treating the long-term effects of the condition, many of which could be prevented with early, effective treatment.”
Diabetes UK has recently alluded to its transparency and accountability with regard to corporate sponsorship. In 2002 they received £750,000 from pharmaceutical companies.
I am unable to ascertain from their website whether any of these funds are provided by the manufacturers of either glitazone currently on the market. It would be helpful if Diabetes UK could have a list of corporate sponsors on their website.
Dr Briffa’s concerns are qualitatively different from mine. Dr Briffa believes Diabetes UK are deliberately advising diabetic patients to consume a diet that worsens their diabetes. This will then led to them to take more medication supplied by the drug companies that fund Diabetes UK. Dr Crippen asks if Dr Briffa has taken leave of his senses, and Pyjamas in Bananas has put up a post entitled: Briffa demented loon: Official.
There is a point at which evidence-based skepticism about the pharmaceutical industry crosses over into cynicism. That’s not all bad, cynics serve a useful balance to the industry. Further on, if one allows one self to be sucked in, one can cross the event horizon from cynicism to the black hole of conspiracy-addled ranting. Once over the line, few seem able to claw their way back to sanity.