How Industry Influence Threatens Scientific Integrity – Insights from Joel Lexchin

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Medical doctor and pharmaceutical-policy researcher Joel Lexchin joins us to discuss the impact of industry sponsorship on medical research, why merely disclosing these financial conflicts of interest is not enough (and may not be accurate or complete), some of the surprising tactics drug- and device-makers use to get more favorable study results and conclusions, and lots more. Behind the paywall, we discuss how to think critically about industry-sponsored research without getting sucked into conspiracy theories and becoming vulnerable to the wellness industry, the role of pharmaceutical companies in creating the craze for GLP-1 weight-loss drugs, and the disturbing truth about many patient-advocacy groups. 

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Joel Lexchin received his MD from the University of Toronto in 1977. He is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Health Policy and Management at York University in Toronto, Canada, where he taught health policy until 2016. In addition, he worked in the emergency department at the University Health Network in Toronto for over 34 years. He has published two books since 2016: Private Profits vs Public Policy: The Pharmaceutical Industry and the Canadian State (University of Toronto Press, 2016) and Doctors in Denial: Why Big Pharma and the Canadian Medical Profession Are Too Close for Comfort (Lorimer, 2017). He is a member of the Foundation Board of Health Action International and the board of Canadian Doctors for Medicare. He is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences and is among the top 2 percent of the world’s most highly cited researchers.

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