Unique Continuing Education Documentary Targets Drug Industry Influence
Boston, MA (PRWEB) June 16, 2007 -- Frustrated by the pervasive pharmaceutical marketing in health care and related conflicts of interest that exist, Elissa Ladd, PhD, APRN, and Clinical Assistant Professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions, is heading up a new program which showcases a documentary entitled: PERx: Prescribing Evidence-Based Therapies. The film, featuring expert commentary from renowned medical opinion leaders, and accompanying interactive website (www.perxinfo.org) will be launched on Monday, June 18.
The only nurse practitioner to receive a grant as part of the Attorney General Consumer and Prescriber Education Grant Program, Ladd was awarded $399,400 to develop PERx and educate prescribers about the various levels of drug industry influence. The program is funded through the 2004 multi-state settlement resolving allegations that Warner-Lambert (a division of Pfizer, Inc.) violated state consumer protection laws when it promoted the epilepsy drug Neurontin for uses not covered under the drug's FDA approval.
PERx will illustrate how pharmaceutical industry influence affects the prescribing behaviors of clinicians, emphasize the ethical implications of these practices and offer strategies to enhance evidence-based practice.
"I believe that all prescribers should be keenly aware of how pharmaceutical marketing can lead to unnecessary prescribing of expensive brand name drugs," said Ladd. "The overuse of these high cost medications is putting an undue burden on our already stressed health care system."
The MGH Institute selected filmmaker and consumer health advocate Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau, a leader in raising awareness about the questionable tactics of the pharmaceutical industry, to produce the educational documentary. Slattery-Moschkau's previous films, Side Effects (starring Katherine Heigl) and Money Talks: Profits Before Patient Safety have also been used as an important resource for consumers, health organizations, doctors and medical schools across the country.
"With billions being spent on drug promotion, the ability to distinguish good marketing from good science plays a critical role in public health and the affordability of health care overall," said Slattery-Moschkau. "PERx provides the health care community with access to unbiased information and the tools they need to better serve their patients."
About the MGH Institute of Health Professions
The MGH Institute of Health Professions (www.mghihp.edu), an academic affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital, is an innovative and independent post-baccalaureate school that operates within the framework of Partners HealthCare System. A progressive leader in developing comprehensive models of health care education, the MGH Institute prepares advanced practice professionals in the fields of nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology, medical imaging and clinical investigation through a distinctive combination of academic study, clinical practice and research. An average of nearly 800 students are enrolled in graduate level degree and certificate programs, with an increasing number of courses available online. The Institute is accredited by the New England Association of Schools and Colleges.
Editors: Our style preference is to not spell out 'MGH' on a first reference to our name, as it incorrectly implies the Institute is a department within the hospital. Alternately, we recommend, "The MGH Institute of Health Professions, an academic affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital…"
About Filmmaker and Consumer Health Advocate Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau:
Kathleen Slattery-Moschkau has taken a unique journey from working for the pharmaceutical industry to becoming a filmmaker and consumer health advocate who educates people through entertainment. Her work has prompted people to ask better questions about prescription drugs and think more about what they put into their bodies.
News organizations like the New York Times, NBC Nightly News, CBS News, CNN, USA Today, The Economist, and Atlantic Monthly, as well as more than 100 other media outlets worldwide have turned to her for real advice on how people can become better consumers of prescription drugs and take control of their health.
PERx Documentary Featured Interviewees
*Elissa Ladd, PhD, APRN, Clinical Assistant Professor at the MGH Institute of Health Professions
*Jerry Avorn, MD, Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School
*David Blumenthal, MD, MPP, Director of MGH Institute for Health Policy; IOM Report Committee Member
*Sidney M. Wolfe, MD, Director, Public Citizen's Health Research Group
*Nancy Crigger, Ph.D, MA, ARNP, Associate Professor of Nursing at William Jewel College
*Joel Lexchin, MD, World Health Organization Consultant
*Susan Reverby, Ph.D, Professor at Wellesley College, Former FDA Panelist
*Bradley Lewis, MD, Ph.D, New York University
*Ken Kaitin, Ph.D, Director, Tufts Center for the Study of Drug Development
*Shannon BrownLee, investigative journalist and fellow at the New American Foundation
*Gene Carbona, Executive Director of Marketing and Sales for The Medical Letter
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