Warning: Shill Groups May be Hazardous to Your Health

Also in drug safety news, a widely-publicized and controversial 2006 study published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), that concluded some “80 percent of lung cancer deaths could be prevented through widespread use of CT scans,” has been discovered to have actually been partially funded by a major cigarette manufacturer.

The cigarette maker accomplished this by working with university researchers to set up a shill foundation, which then partially paid for the study. The editor-in-chief of NEJM, along with several other prominent cancer researchers, were “stunned” to learn that this happened. Pending or promoted legislation in several states, which was based on the science behind this study, will probably be shelved.

-- Dylan Blaylock