“Premiere” Medical Journals Are Captured By Big Pharma

Big Pharma may be evil, but it is not stupid. It has tons of money and knows how to use it. It knows an important way to influence physicians is to control what they read. In 2024, both JAMA and BMJ published studies revealing that the majority of peer reviewers for JAMA, BMJ, Lancet, and NEJM, the four journals with the highest circulation, receive payments from Big Pharma. From 2020-2022, they received $1.06 billion. Both articles state the obvious – that this is a dangerous conflict of interest. Add to that the amount of money these journals receive from Big Pharma advertising, and one can see the corresponding end result.

https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/2824834

https://www.bmj.com/content/387/bmj.q2260.full

In August 2004, Marcia Angell, MD published her book, The Truth About The Drug Companies: How They Deceive Us And What To Do About It.

She joined the editorial staff of NEJM in 1979, became executive editor in 1988, and became the first woman editor in chief of the journal in 1999. In this book, Dr. Angell details the tricks Big Pharma commonly uses to make their drugs look safer than they really are and to make them appear more effective than they really are. This book was supposed to be a warning and a call to action. Unfortunately, her wake up call went unheeded. Like most physicians, I used to think a study printed in one of these top journals represented the epitome of science. How sad and depressing to realize many are actually the complete opposite – propaganda bought and paid for by Big Pharma.