An investigation of five “diseases” to show how the drug industry influences what is considered a disease and who has it. Among the key findings: 1)Drug companies have cammandeered the process by which diseases are defined and treated. By creting new diseases and expanding the coundaries for existing ones, drug companies have exponentially expanded markets for their drugs often without scientific evidence for doing so. 2) Some of the most commonly diagnosed diseases are based on arbitrary criteria chosen by experts with wide-ranging ties to pharmaceutical companies. 3) The drug industry systematically cultivates medical experts, some of whom first help develop and market the drug, and then write the definitions and guidelines for treatment. 4) Drug treatments for the newly expanded diseases may be worse than the conditions they’re treating.
Check out the report on The Seattle Times site.