A U.K. pharmaceutical industry trade group has publicly reprimanded AstraZeneca (AZN) for failing to uphold the “high standards” expected of drug makers, after convening an advisory board meeting that an anonymous employee contended was really an improper marketing scheme.
The reprimand comes amid ongoing concerns over industry advisory boards, which are regularly convened to discuss information about medicines — notably, medical study results — but have sometimes been criticized as marketing vehicles to sway physicians. A key concern is the extent to which doctors may become biased in favor the drug being discussed.
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