Link Between Doctors, Drug Firms Examined

Some British doctors see no conflict in saying they authored medical reports actually written by the pharmaceutical industry, critics said.

"I do think there needs to be a national debate in this country about the interpenetration of medicine and the pharmaceutical industry," Tim Kendall, director of the National Collaborating Center for Mental Health, told The Guardian in a story published Saturday.

The case of Britain bone specialist Richard Eastell highlights the issue, The Guardian reported.

Eastell, a professor at Sheffield University, allegedly admitted he let his name be used as the author of a study of Actonel, an osteoporosis drug, manufactured by the U.S. company Proctor & Gamble.

Eastell lacked access to all of the data on which the study was based, The Guardian reported, noting an employee of Proctor & Gamble wrote the study. Eastell is to be called before Britain's General Medical Council to determine whether he is fit to practice medicine, the British newspaper reported.