Doctor's role in pharmaceutical study questioned

An investigation by John Fauber, of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, found that when doctors sign off on research about powerful new drugs, they may be doing so based on data provided them by drug companies – not the raw data that underlies the studies themselves.  Fauber looked at the case of Multaq, a drug for treating atrial fibrillation, and the chair of the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, who was part of a study on the drug. The doctor and his six co-authors all had ties to the drug company – with two working directly for the company and the five others moonlighting for the company as consultants or speakers.