Merck’s Dick Clark: ‘We Have A Trust Deficit’
13 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // April 24th, 2008 // 7:35 am
The Merck ceo is going to school. In the wake of the Vytorin controversy, the plain-spoken Dick strikes a contrite pose and concedes that a problem or two exists in pharma’s corporate culture.
“There is a trust deficit we have to fix,” he tells The Star-Ledger of New Jersey* when asked about the lessons learned from the Vytorin controversy. “I think everyone has a lesson to be learned from this.” He adds that drugmakers may have to become more transparent about their external spending, as well as their relationships with doctors.
May have to become more transparent? How about immediately posting all grants and other payments to docs as you promised Chuck Grassley of the US Senate Finance Committee? How about publicly disavowing ghostwriting for any medical study? How about instructing your team not to change primary endpoints on studies?
Which brings us to the Merck/Schering-Plough joint venture to market Vytorin. Despite the scandal over the handling of the data and the dealings with the various experts, Dick stands by the effort. “The joint venture is well-managed,” he insists. “This was an unfortunate outcome.” Well managed? How about the love between Merck and Schering-Plough execs? You know a joint venture is going well when an exec from one side tells an exec from the other side to “f… off.”
* The Star-Ledger of New Jersey owns Pharmalot
James
Dear Ed,
I take great issue with what seems like an attack by you: “How about immediately posting all grants and other payments to docs as you promised Chuck Grassley of the US Senate Finance Committee? How about publicly disavowing ghostwriting for any medical study? How about instructing your team not to change primary endpoints on studies?”
To attack and criticize after all Dick Clark has done for us. American Bandstand. The New Year’s Eve bash. Reversing the aging process.
It just isn’t right, Ed.
Ed Silverman
Hi James,
You’re right - it was Alan Freed who got caught up in payola. Dick Clark has always remained squeaky clean and all-American. Must be Botox. But that hair. How does he do it?
Best
ed
Outraged
Trust deficit? How about the actions of the Big Pharma companies in the past year have destroyed the public’s confidence in them? Dick can hedge all he wants, but it will be years and a lot of positive actions to win any of this back. As of now, they are on par with tobacco and oil. What a great triad to be in!
Doc
How about a trust vacuum? Pharma never ceases to amaze me how they rationalize every move because ‘it helps patients’.
Jack2
There’s nothing wrong with the oil industry.
LILLI
James
It is the pharmaceutical companies that are influencing and telling congress what to do.
If your doctor does not monitor the medications you are taking and you became seriously ill or die–it is very difficult to find a medical malpractice lawyer, unless you have thousands of dollars to spend. And the courts and the juries are for the doctors. So where do we go to get ethical healthcare?
LILLI
Does anyone think that pharmalot is helping for patients to receive safe medications?
Outraged
I applaud Pharmalot for bringing some of these pharma issues to light. Eventually, we may see some increased accountability by the industry.
Justice in Michigan
Or not.
Re: the oil industry, they do about as well in public approval polls. As has been discussed before, what is striking is how much public trust in pharma has dropped over the past ten years or so. The oil companies were already down there.
Bob Freeman
Most opinion surveys I’ve seen put Pharma down there with Tobacco also.
I think they do better in European surveys but that may be a false memory.
Bless The Truth
Thumb up for Dick Clark! I hail him for admitting “trust deficit” That’s a wake up call for Daniel Vassela, whose organization (Novartis) shoots its employees by the neck and feet, whenever they courageously point out hidden ills. Big pharma CEOs should emulate Dick and embrace those employees who speak up instead of engaging them in legal battle. Good job Dick!
Dave
Trust deficit? Try a “trust vacuum.” The only people that trust pharma anymore are some of the people that work there. Most veterans have learned the truth by now. Commercial rules! That’s the fundamental problem!
You can't handle the truth
Trust me, speaking the truth is not encouraged at Merck. If it were, I doubt they would be pursuing a drug similar to the failed Sanofi weight loss drug.