Most physicians who endorsed a prescription drug or medical device on X — formerly known as Twitter — also received payments from the manufacturers of these products, according to a new analysis that highlights ongoing concerns about financial ties between doctors and industry.
The study found 26 of 28 physicians, or 93%, received at least one payment, and the average was more than $27,400 for such things as food and beverages, speaking, consulting, or travel. In 24 instances, the payments were related to a specific medicine or device that was endorsed on the social media platform. Only one physician was paid for research — nearly $225,000 — concerning an endorsed drug.
Notably, two-thirds of the doctors who endorsed a drug or device did not score highly on an index used to measure academic productivity. And half of the physicians had no publications related to the products they endorsed. In addition, 61% of the endorsements were sponsored testimonials and nearly half of the doctors failed to disclose any compensation from the manufacturers, according to the analysis in JAMA.
