E-drug: Coverage of news media of the benefits and risks of medications
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[Reprinted under the fair use doctrine of international copyright law. KM]
The New England Journal of Medicine -- June 1, 2000 -- Vol. 342, No. 22
Special article - abstract
Coverage by the News Media of the Benefits and Risks of Medications
Ray Moynihan, Lisa Bero, Dennis Ross-Degnan, David Henry, Kirby Lee, Judy
Watkins, Connie Mah, Stephen B. Soumerai
Abstract
Background. The news media are an important source of information about new
medical treatments, but there is concern that some coverage may be
inaccurate and overly enthusiastic.
Methods. We studied coverage by U.S. news media of the benefits and risks
of three medications that are used to prevent major diseases. The
medications were pravastatin, a cholesterol-lowering drug for the
prevention of cardiovascular disease; alendronate, a bisphosphonate for the
treatment and prevention of osteoporosis; and aspirin, which is used for
the prevention of cardiovascular disease. We analyzed a systematic
probability sample of 180 newspaper articles (60 for each drug) and 27
television reports that appeared between 1994 and 1998.
Results. Of the 207 stories, 83 (40 percent) did not report benefits
quantitatively. Of the 124 that did, 103 (83 percent) reported relative
benefits only, 3 (2 percent) absolute benefits only, and 18 (15 percent)
both absolute and relative benefits. Of the 207 stories, 98 (47 percent)
mentioned potential harm to patients, and only 63 (30 percent) mentioned
costs. Of the 170 stories citing an expert or a scientific study, 85 (50
percent) cited at least one expert or study with a financial tie to a
manufacturer of the drug that had been disclosed in the scientific
literature. These ties were disclosed in only 33 (39 percent) of the 85
stories.
Conclusions. News-media stories about medications may include inadequate or
incomplete information about the benefits, risks, and costs of the drugs as
well as the financial ties between study groups or experts and
pharmaceutical manufacturers. (N Engl J Med 2000;342:1645-50.)
Source Information
From the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical
School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston (R.M., D.R.-D., C.M.,
S.B.S.); the Australian Broadcasting Corporation, Sydney, N.S.W., Australia
(R.M.); the Department of Clinical Pharmacy, School of Pharmacy (L.B.,
K.L.), and Institute for Health Policy Studies, School of Medicine (L.B.),
University of California, San Francisco; and the School of Population
Health Sciences, Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of
Newcastle, Newcastle, N.S.W., Australia (D.H.). Address reprint requests to
Dr. Soumerai at the Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard
Medical School, 126 Brookline Ave., Suite 200, Boston, MA 02215, or at
ssoumerai@hms.harvard.edu <mailto:ssoumerai@hms.harvard.edu>.
Kirsten Myhr, MScPharm, MPH
Bygd�y alle 58B
0265 Oslo, Norway
Tel.: +47 22 56 05 85
myhr@online.no
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