On Episode 3 of “The Infectious Myth,” David talks with Professor Peter Gøtzsche, head of the Cochrane Institute in Denmark, about mammography and corruption in the pharmaceutical industry, based on his two recent books.
Peter explains how his 2012 book, Mammography Screening: Truth, Lies and Controversy, dismantles the myth that mammography is beneficial. He further asserts that mammography leads to over-diagnosis and severe anxiety in women, even those whose false alarm is later withdrawn, and has never been shown to result in any reduction in the overall death rate for women.
His 2013 book, Deadly Medicines and Organised Crime: How Big Pharma Has Corrupted Healthcare, has a strong title but one that is justified by the U.S. government definition of organized crime. Pharmaceutical companies have been fined billions of dollars for illegal behavior and are still getting away with literal murder. Although surveys show that the general public do not trust drug companies, they do trust their doctors. So drug companies can lavish attention (money) on doctors, knowing that their patients will believe that their doctors offer an independent opinion about the value of drugs. Peter explains that this is a myth, that most doctors get most information about drugs from pharmaceutical companies. Drug companies also manipulate research by suppressing studies that show a negative result and promoting research that shows a positive result, even if that research is biased.
So that this discussion is not too depressing, at the end David asks Dr. Gøtzsche for ideas on how individuals can protect themselves from a corrupt and deadly system.
To see all episodes of “The Infectious Myth” go to http://prn.fm/shows/infectious-myth/