Pharmawhat? Hello, Folks, Nice To See You Again
97 CommentsBy Ed Silverman // October 9th, 2009 // 6:53 pm
Dear Pharmalot Friends,
Welcome back. After closing down early this year, Pharmalot is living and breathing again. And along with its return comes a renewed opportunity to discuss and explore issues of importance and concern to those who are somehow immersed in the world of pharmaceuticals.
However, there will be at least one crucial difference. And that is I will not be posting the usual tidal wave of 10 or so items every day. That’s because I won’t be running Pharmalot on a full-time basis as I did before.
Since the site closed, I began working for Elsevier Business Intelligence, a news unit of the company best known for publishing medical journals. My official role is bureau chief for The Pink Sheet, the venerable pharma publication for which I assign, edit and, sometimes, write stories. I also contribute occasionally to some related titles, such as In Vivo and The RPM Report. And I fully intend to continue doing so – I joined a smart team of people and the work is enjoyable and interesting.
As a result, I will be posting less frequently than I had in the past, and these posts will usually appear in the morning or late in the day. Nonetheless, I will continue to watch for interesting items, wherever they may be found, and will gladly entertain suggestions and contributions as well. And I hope that what I call ‘Son of Pharmalot’ will continue to provide a forum for dissecting what matters.
For those wondering how this modest little revival is possible, given that I had run Pharmalot as an employee of The Star-Ledger of New Jersey, I should mention the site is now independently owned and operated – by me. Through the largesse of Jim Willse, the Ledger’s soon-to-retire editor, I was able to obtain the rights to the blog. And thanks to the largesse of Roger Longman, who oversees EBI’s coverage of the pharma world, I have an opportunity to engage you all once again. And no, there is no corporate backing or a group of silent partners lurking nearby. It’s just me.
Before moving on to the next item, however, I would also like to thank Daylife for continuing to do such a superb job of powering my news page, as well as the dozens of well wishers who wrote or phoned this year to say how much they liked Pharmalot. Without question, your kind words were greatly appreciated. And I am sincerely grateful to those of you who offered ideas and encouragement these past few months as I settled in to my latest undertaking. A hat tip to you all.
Evelyn Pringle
Welcome back.
This is the best news I’ve had in months!! I really mean that.
Arsalan Arif
Great to have you back Ed!
Matthew Herper
Welcome back, dude. That picture is awesome.
Maryn McKenna
Yay! Welcome back, Ed!
Susan Laufer
Welcome back! We’ve missed you!! (love the Rosh Ha’nikra photo, BTW!)
Marilyn Mann
Welcome back! This is great news!
Adam J. Fein
Rock on, Ed! Glad to see you back in the fray!
Adam
Somite
Welcome back! Excellent timing to cover the CRO and pharma industries. Please take a stab at the Covance situation.
Jim Edwards, BNET Pharma
Welcome back! Let’s get dinner sometime. My treat.
http://industry.bnet.com/pharma/10004720/ed-silverman-to-reopen-pharmalot-next-week/
Brad
Just to reiterate what’s already been said, though not enough: welcome back! Your disappearance, while understandable, represented a hole in the murmurings of the blogosphere.
pharmagossip
If you think I’m going to follow on in the same vein as this bunch of fawning sycophants…….
you’d be absolutely right!
Cheers
pharmagossip
Oh, I almost forgot!
http://pharmagossip.blogspot.com/2009/10/best-breaking-news-this-year.html
bB
Good News!
Stephany
Great blog, great news!
John Kamp
Welcome back. It’s been good to have you as a member of the Pink Sheet and RPM team, but I’m also looking forward to the familiar stuff in the new Son. Congrats.
Doc
Ed,
You are the man, welcome back. Your high quality is a rare thing in this web based world.
Andrew Spong
Welcome back! This is great news.
Andrew Spong
Meant to add: do you/are you going to use Twitter?
@andrewspong :)
John Q
Welcome back! Glad you are back.
Scott S
It’s great you can return in a similar capacity … welcome back!!
Nat Bourre
Welcome back! So happy to see Pharmalot again.
@NatBourre
Robin
Good news…glad you were able to work out a deal. Pharmalot was missed welcome back!!
riv
Mwa mwa. Wonderful news. Now get to work. Ha.
riv
P.S.
You look thinner. Oh the freelance life.
Harlan Krumholz
Welcome back Ed. We missed you. Might you be clearer about the independence of the site and your observations. You are now working for a company that has produced ‘fake’ journals for pharma — do you feel that you can be that same, clear independent voice that you were until your present circumstances? I think it is worth addressing whether there is a difference from when you worked for the fourth estate. I know you have integrity and character and courage — but you also have your family and your job — and is the new job compatible with an independent blog that could even criticize your employer?
cyndi white
Nice to see you back Ed.You’ve been missed .
Fernando Comas
Wellcome
http://pharmacoserias.blogspot.com/2007/10/we-will-come-backy-regreso-ed-silverman.html
Justice in Michigan
Ed,
I have now put you in the small altar where I light candles for President Obama.
But seriously….welcome back! How very cool!
Pharma Giles
Ed:
Glad to see you are back blogging, even though you can’t afford a razor. Hope your gig with Elsleazier doesn’t blunt your cutting edge…
Very best wishes, Giles.
susan
I missed my most favorite fellow NJ blogger. Welcome back to the blogosphere!
KeithH ATL-L-14475-06-MT Cs.#615
WELCOME BACK EDDIE! We will give HELL, until our barrels melt-down!
Lichtstrasse 35
Welcome back Ed!
Arlene Teck
Hi, Ed,
Glad to see you back!
Please keep me on your list. I’ll be watching and reading.
I work in pharmaceutical branding, so I will be looking especially for your take on any issues that surface in that arena.
My best wishes to you in resuming this endeavor,
Lee
I wondered where the best pharma email service had disappeared to as the tidal wave of lesser opinionated ones still came into the box. Needed you. Terrific surprise
Ms. Beth
YEEEEEEEEEEEHAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA!! Welcome back! U have been missed.
Anne PME
Welcome back! The pharmalot campus reopens just in time for the big game…actually, I meant the big (HC reform) vote
Please thank Mrs. Pharmalot for allowing you to proscrastinate on getting the other items on your honey to do list done…I am assuming that computer and Internet items on the list have been checked off now that Pharmalot is back…
ThingsPharma.com
It’s great to have you back Ed!
Ed Silverman
Hi Harlan,
Thanks for the note and for the good question. Further up the thread you wrote: “Might you be clearer about the independence of the site and your observations. You are now working for a company that has produced ‘fake’ journals for pharma — do you feel that you can be that same, clear independent voice that you were until your present circumstances? I think it is worth addressing whether there is a difference from when you worked for the fourth estate. I know you have integrity and character and courage — but you also have your family and your job — and is the new job compatible with an independent blog that could even criticize your employer?”
To answer your questions: yes. Earlier this year, I ‘tweeted’ the news about the episodes involving fake medical journals under the Pharmalot handle on Twitter and I would have done the same on the blog, simply because the issue was worthwhile. I’m in a very different business unit and have no special insights into what occurred or how it’s being addressed internally, but the topic, nonetheless, was fair game. In the long run, the only way to really judge me, however, will be the test of time and circumstance. I’ll do my best. And thanks for challenging me.
Cheers
Ed
Harlan Krumholz
Love that answer — and love having you back. We need you for the national discussion.
pharmavet
Welcome Back Ed:
My final post to the old Pharmalot was that since you were going away, Big Pharma could breath a sigh of releif. Now that you’re back, they can start worrying again. Only thing is that there are a lot fewer of them left to do do the worrying since your last sign-off. With the near-term disappearance of Wyeth and Schering-Plough there will be another 25,000 or so less to do the worrying. There will still be enough left however, so that we can still stick it to The Man.
Nathan
Welcome back Ed! Look forward to having some lively discussions again!
Lee Davies
Welcome HOME, Ed!
Michael Apolskis
Glad you are back.
Jaynesday
Ed, Thanks for returning. Let the garden party begin!
Peter Mansfield
Welcome back. I’m sorry the daily dose will be lower but you have been great at quality and that is more important than quantity. You have many fans around the world, not just me in Australia.
Christopher
HK,Ed: Please explain what is a ‘fake’ medical journal.
Tks
FC
excellent news…
Mayer eisenstein MD,JD,MPH
Welcome back. I conduct a comlementary webinar series on the dangers vaccines and pharmaceuticals. I would love to have you as a guest.
Ed Silverman
Hi Christopher,
I was simply referring to the recent brouhaha over ghostwriting, which is what I assume Harlan Krumholz was alluding to in his note - and I parroted his shorthand use of the word ‘fake.’ And I also presume he was deliberately pointing to some examples involving Elsevier, given the gauntlet he threw down at my feet.
The Merck episode, for instance, involved the drug maker paying for several volumes of the Australasian Journal of Bone and Joint Medicine, which appeared to be peer-reviewed but was really a compilation of articles sponsored by Merck.
Then there were several articles that were written by a communications firm for Wyeth and that showed up in some Elsevier journals. Elsevier, by the way, is now conducting a review of its procedures, something we wrote about in The Pink Sheet (and it was a story that I edited, in fact). Hope that helps. Thanks for writing in.
Ed
Barry Herman
Glad you’re back!
Barry
Bruce Goldberg
Way to go Ed. Follow the passion!
Joana Ramos
Hi Ed,
I join the rest of the crowd in sending thanks for bringing Pharmalot back, and have been spreading the word in the Healthy Skepticism network. http://www.healthyskepticism.org.
Best,
Joana
Joe
wantEd, needEd, missEd
Welcome Home!
Dianne
Wishing you much success!
JimK
Ed
Welcome back but I guess this means my Pharmalot Tee Shirt is no longer a collector’s item.
E Delaney
Look forward to your insights on current info as well hearing about the “short” people. How are they doing?
Rory Kearney
Just in time to continue covering the CareToLive.com Provenge saga. We are very happy to see you up and running again.
Tony F
MORE than delighted to see you back, Ed~! Thank goodness!
You’re timing couldn’t be more favorable to pick up on the Provenge saga… after close Friday After Hours, 2 SEC Form 3 & 4’s were revealed.
Dendreon may be having a partnership or some other happening…. put those feelers out and give us your take!
Ahhh…. can get my Pharmalot fill, once more!
Fordwill1953
Ed,
I was one of the folks that read your posts occasionally and never got around to thanking you for your efforts. Pharmalot “I” was very important to us Dendreon Investors when things were bleak. Thank you.
Now, I’ll be reading Pharmalot “II” regularly looking for Dendreon II… lololol if there is such a company out there. I hope in your new capacity you will come up with an idea or two.
Good luck in this new endeavor. Know that you have friends out here.
Kat
I’ve missed this blog ever since it was abandoned - none of the other Pharma-related blogs managed to fill your shoes!
Welcome back.
Batman
Welcome back Ed!
Great news!
~Batman
Adriana Gamondes
Good to see you back.
laura
Welcome back, Ed! Welcome back, too, to all of your intelligent, insightful, diverse, impassioned followers who make this garden party such an interesting experience. I can’t wait for it to begin.
PharmaMarketer
Welcome Back!
http://www.medical-brochures.blogspot.com
Peter
Welcome back. We missed you!
Sydney
Are you sure? I mean really really sure? You look so relaxed and tan standing there overlooking the sea.
Well, okay, if you’re certain.
Thank goodness you’re back!
Sydney
Christopher
Thanks for the clarification Ed. I’ll wait until you’re up and running before revisiting the ghostwriting topic. This merits further discussion, esp regarding Merck, JAMA articles, and the validity of articles written by third parties ie ghostwriters. And disclosure. But I think you’re still welcoming guests back to your cocktail party and it’s not time yet for the bumptious guest to climb onto his soapbox, so I’ll let it go. Nice to see you back by the way - place hasn’t changed a bit.
Shamnad Basheer
Missed you Ed,
Welcome back! I look forward to your insights.
Michele
Welcome back, Ed! So nice to see you in my feed!
Lisa Van Syckel
Lookin Good Ed,.. Welcome back, we missed you!
shade
Nice to have you back, Ed. We’ve missed you, if you couldn’t tell.
Nick
Ed…
Great news. I can now go about my ritual of coffee, bagel and Pharmalot. By the way, nice view from your backyard.
Regards
Nick
@maverickNY
Great news!
Welcome back, Ed!
Donna
Great to have you back with us Ed!
Bill Borden
Great news sir!
Tom Lamb
Ed:
In advance, I want to thank you for the time and effort you devote to Pharmalot. As evidenced by the list of various people who have welcomed you back to this part of the blogosphere, your work product is greatly valued by many.
For those who have an interest in how Merck paid Elsevier to produce what was essentially a marketing publication for Vioxx and Fosamax, you might take a quick look at a blog post I did back in April 2009:
The Tale Of Merck’s Fake Medical Journal As Told At A Vioxx Trial In Australia
http://bit.ly/15d9br
Linda Johnson
Ed,
I’ve really missed your wisdom _ and sarcasm. It will be great to have both back.
Best,
Linda
Condor
Was off the grid this weekend, but this is PRODIGIOUS news!
Made you a vacation photo!
Welcome back man!
– The Condor
Bob Freeman
Terrific news, Ed. And kudos to the Star-Ledger for releasing the name “Pharmalot”. Welcome back
Ed from up North
Ed this is wonderful. Rest assured I’ll be reading your posts up here in Canada, again. I’m sure you will be very successful with this.
Cheers,
Ed
Cliff Mintz
Welcome back Ed…what took you so long? :P
Liz Arnold
You have been missed, and we welcome you back to the blogosphere!
And where can I get a Pharmalot tee shirt?
Donna M
Welcome Back Ed !!!!!!!!!!!!
Ted Collins
Welcome back, Ed. I returned to pharmalot.com nearly every day hoping you would return.
Bernard Carroll
Great to see you back, Ed. Barney Carroll.
Ray Kerins
Ed - hope you enjoyed the vaction. From the looks of that picture you sure did. We’re happy to have Pharmalot back. Oyster Bar here we come!
David
VERY nice to see you back Ed. Looking forward to your work again.
About Elsevier — I was a little surprised at that news. Given the record of the NYT, WaPo etc. in this regard perhaps I shouldn’t have been.
I love the Dutch and have a great deal of respect for them so I am hoping my instincts are correct and some heads role. If you have contacts and learn anything about how Amsterdam reacts, or has already, please let us know if you can.
Stephanie
I think it has all been said, welcome back, you were missed!
David
Glad to see you back on the blog.
Cindy
Let me add my voice to the chorus. Welcome back, Ed! We missed you.
Vikas Dandekar
Hi Ed, This is a great comeback. Feel good to have those insights back again.
truthman30
Hey Ed
Great to see you back..
Maybe you could do post on the verdict on GSK’s Paxil being found responsible for causing heart defects ?..
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/healthnews/6335822/GSK-antidepressant-Paxil-to-blame-for-babys-heart-defects-US-jury-rules.html
Former Pharma Marketing Director
Welcome Back…..
So good to see you again!
Best wishes for your continued success here and elsewhere….
Former
Sue
You’re Back!
:D
JL
I saw a reference to the site and did a double-take, thinking that I was looking at an Oct 2007 posting, but thankfully I was quite wrong! Welcome back!
Tom Ginsberg
This is a great long-awaited return.
PBurns
Call me sometime. Missed you when you were gone and happy you are back.
Patrick