Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
When The Patient Voice Is Speaking With A Pharma Accent
The New York Times: More Than 80 Percent Of Patient Groups Accept Drug Industry Funds, Study Shows
The nation’s largest patient advocacy groups are on the front lines of some of the biggest health care debates, from the soaring costs of prescription drugs to whether new medicines are being approved quickly enough. But while their voices carry weight because they represent the interests of sick patients, a new study has found that more than 80 percent of them accept funding from drug and medical-device companies. (Thomas, 3/1)
Kaiser Health News: Patient Advocacy Groups Rake In Donations From Pharma
High-profile advocacy groups for patients with cancer, Alzheimer’s, HIV and other diseases almost always accept funding from pharmaceutical firms, and many fail to report any contributions, new research shows. At least 83 percent of the nation’s 104 largest patient advocacy groups take contributions from the drug, medical device and biotech industries, raising questions about whether they consistently put patients first, according to a paper published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. (Kopp, 3/1)
