Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17260

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Electronic Source

Silverman E
Grassley Probes WebMd Ties To Eli Lilly
Pharmalot 2010 Feb 19
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/02/grassley-probes-webmd-ties-to-eli-lilly/

Notes:

Link to letter: http://freepdfhosting.com/627bb81d87.pdf

Full text:

Grassley, who is the ranking Republican on the US Senate Finance Committee, is investigating the relationship between WebMD and drugmakers after learning the web site is running a TV ad that encourage people to take a depression-screening test sponsored by Eli Lilly, which sells Cymbalta.
So he wants WebMD, which lots of folks visit for medical info, to disclose its ties to the industry, in general, because the Lilly sponsorship raises questions about WebMD’s “independence,” according to this Feb. 18 letter to WebMD exec Wayne Gattinella. The ad encourages people to visit WebMD’s site to take a depression-screening test (see here).
The test asks questions about suffering emotional or physical symptoms associated with depression and includes banner ads on the top and middle of the page about Cymbalta. A WebMD spokeswoman tells Dow Jones the company believes “our internal process ensures our editorial independence in our programs.” Well, click on that page and you’re taken to another clearly sponsored by Lilly (look).