Pharmaceutical Industry Disclosure Practices

Pharmaceutical Industry Donations and
Policy Think Tanks and Advocacy Groups

New York Times: On Opinion Page, a Lobby's Hand Is Often Unseen
by Philip Shenon (December 23, 2005)

This article reports how industry-friendly public policy think tanks, such as the Institute for Policy Innovation, are able to promote brand-name pharmaceutical industry views in the guise of disinterested policy advocacy. In one notable case, a lobbyist for brand-name drug companies, temporarily working for a think tank, was able to get an opinion piece published in the Financial Times without revealing her industry ties.

Medecins Sans Frontieres responds to Hudson Institute report on drug prices
by Medecin Sans Frontieres (May 19, 2004)

This briefing note from Medecins Sans Frontieres (MSF/Doctors Without Borders) responds to a report issued by the pharmaceutical industry-funded Hudson Institute. The MSF paper charges the Hudson Institute report, which received significant media coverage and cites MSF data to support a claim that generic drugs are not cheaper than brand-name products, with willfully distorting data collected by MSF, for the purpose of deceptively alleging that generics do not drive down prices.

IP Justice: Bush and Big Pharma Team Up to Discredit WHO and Generic Medicines: Drug Companies' Influence on Health Care Policy Worsens Global AIDS Crisis
by Robin Gross (May 3, 2005)

This report from IP Justice documents how industry-allied think tanks and advocacy groups conducted a misinformation campaign to discredit an important program at the World Health Organization (WHO). The WHO's prequalification program certifies the quality of brand-name and generic versions of essential medicines, helping make it possible for qualified generics to get on the market in developing countries.

Wall Street Journal: Thai-ing Pharma Down
by Roger Bate (February 9, 2007)

This opinion piece, which makes untrue claims about World Trade Organization rules, is authored by Roger Bate of the American Enterprise Institute, but does not disclose that AEI is funded by the brand-name pharmaceutical industry. It is part of a concerted effort by the brand-name pharmaceutical industry to campaign against Thailand's issuance of compulsory licenses on three important medicines.

Pharmaceutical Industry Disclosure Practices