NAMI Promises To Take Less Pharma Money
9 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // October 22nd, 2009 // 7:10 am
A majority of donations made to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, a big advocacy group, have come from drug makers in recent years, according to Congressional investigators. The disclosure comes after protracted criticism of NAMI for coordinating lobbying efforts with drug makers and pushing legislation that also benefits the pharma industry, The New York Times reports.
Last spring, Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, sent letters to NAMI (see here) and other disease and patient advocacy groups asking about their ties to drug and device makers as part of his investigation into industry influence on the practice of medicine. One whistleblower lawsuit that was part of Pfizer’s $2.3 billion settlement detailed how Pfizer funded NAMI to promote its Geodon antipsychotic (see page 23). You can also read here how AstraZeneca paid a NAMI official from Kentucky as a Seroquel consultant.
NAMI has refused for years to disclose specifics of its fund-raising, saying details are private. But according to Grassley and documents obtained by the paper, between 2006 and 2008, drug makers contributed nearly $23 million to NAMI, or about three-quarters of its donations.
Now, NAMI’s executive director, Michael Fitzpatrick, now acknowledges industry donations were excessive and that things would change, the paper writes. “For at least the years of ’07, ’08 and ’09, the percentage of money from pharma has been higher than we have wanted it to be,” he tells the paper, adding that pharma’s share of NAMI fund-raising would drop “significantly” next year. “I understand that NAMI gets painted as being in the pockets of pharmaceutical companies, and somehow that all we care about is pharmaceuticals. It’s simply not true.”
Fitzpatrick says Grassley’s scrutiny led NAMI to begin posting on its Web site the names of companies that donate $5,000 or more (see here). And he predicted that other patient and disease advocacy groups would be prodded by Mr. Grassley’s investigation to do the same, the Times writes. “Everyone I talk to wants to have more balanced fund-raising,” he tells the paper.
The Times also makes this point: His probe has unnerved such groups, which are often filled with sincere people who are either afflicted with serious illnesses themselves or have family members who have been affected. Many join in the hope of making sense of their misfortune by helping to find a cure or raising awareness of a disease’s risks and frequency, the paper writes.
Read the rest here…
Lilly
NAMI is a mess and the leadership has been going down this current path for years.
Lisa Van Syckel
NAMI’s members are nothing more than Industry apologists. NAMI uses Pharma money to woo NJ Legislators (Senators Vitale and Codey) with campaign contributions and fancy award dinners. In return these legislators block legislation that will enforce a parent’s right to make informed medical decisions on behalf of their children, while protecting their children from being haphazardly prescribed dangerous medications. These individuals cause more harm than good.
Lilly
To Lisa Van Syckel—-Thank you for your comment. Your are telling the truth—but our elected and appointed officials do not want to know the truth
Medications is not always the answer—Preventive Medicine would eleimate many dangers and unexpected death from the horrors of medications. Though at times medication is required it is definately not a cure all—in fact many times instade of healing it harms. But elected and appointed officials do not care Check their financial disclosure—all of investments with medical and pharmaceutical industries
Lilly K
Lilly K just directed my comment to Lisa I noticed that there is another Lilly—-I am Lilly K
Stan
Looks like Grassley’s work is going to expose a whole lot leading to a lot of stories!
Stan
Looks like Grassley’s work is going to expose a whole lot leading to a lot of stories!
OH! You’re my new favorite blogger fyi
Anonymous
NAMI’s 2004-2006 Strategic Plan Progress report included, “Aggressive plans (but conservative projections) regarding diversification of funding sources (Goal 4, KRM 1)” on page 8. NAMI’s 2007-2010 Strategic Plan called for “evidence of financial diversification” on page 14 of 29.
Yet the results were ……. Once again NAMI represents that it will try to do better when it comes to funding diversification where it has failed achieve the same in the past.
1. http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/About_NAMI/Governance/Strategic_Planning/StratPlanConsolidatedJUN06_FINAL.doc
2. http://www.nami.org/Content/NavigationMenu/Inform_Yourself/About_NAMI/Governance/NAMI_2007_2010_Strategic_Plan.pdf
katherine
NAMI is a mess. new leadership needed.
Jim
NAMI- all this org has become is a drug pusher for pharma….