PharmedOut

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Georgetown University Medical Center project

title: "PharmedOut" type: doc version: 1 created: 2026-02-28 author: "Wikipedia contributors" status: active scope: public tags: ["medical-and-health-organizations-based-in-washington,-d.c.", "pharmaceutical-industry-in-the-united-states", "organizations-established-in-2006", "georgetown-university-programs", "opioid-epidemic", "2006-establishments-in-the-united-states", "2006-establishments-in-washington-(state)"] description: "Georgetown University Medical Center project" topic_path: "geography/united-states" source: "https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PharmedOut" license: "CC BY-SA 4.0" wikipedia_page_id: 0 wikipedia_revision_id: 0

::summary Georgetown University Medical Center project ::

::data[format=table title="Infobox organization"]

FieldValue
namePharmedOut
abbreviationPhO
formation2006
founding_locationGeorgetown University Medical Center
purposehealthcare
key_peopleAdriane Fugh-Berman (Director)
website
::

| name = PharmedOut | abbreviation = PhO | formation = 2006 | founding_location = Georgetown University Medical Center | purpose = healthcare | key_people = Adriane Fugh-Berman (Director) | website =

PharmedOut (PhO) is a Georgetown University Medical Center project founded in 2006. It is directed by Adriane Fugh-Berman. The stated mission of the organization is to advance evidence-based prescribing and educate healthcare professionals about pharmaceutical marketing practices.

Three stated goals of the project are:

  1. Document and disseminate information about how pharmaceutical companies influence prescribing

  2. Foster access to unbiased information about drugs

  3. Encourage physicians to choose pharma-free CME (continuing medical education).

This organization provides healthcare professionals with pharma-free continuing medical education (CME) and resources to unbiased drug information. PharmedOut was founded with funds from the Attorney General Consumer and Prescriber Education grant program. Since 2008, PharmedOut has been financially supported by individual donations and largely staffed by a volunteer team of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, scientists, lawyers, students, artists and writers.

PharmedOut criticizes some medical research and practices, including overprescription of opioids, industry construction of and influence on perceptions of diseases and symptoms, misleading information about the benefits of and harms of testosterone, menopausal hormone therapy, flibanserin, and Epipens.

Articles in peer-reviewed publications include an article about how Medicare prescribers who accept industry gifts prescribe more medications (and more expensive medications), one by Sunita Sah on how industry uses social psychology to manipulate physicians, pharmacist-industry relationships, an article on medical device salespeople and surgeons, an analysis of pharmaceutical marketing to people with hemophilia an analysis of how "key opinion leaders" are used to market drugs off-label, an explanation of drug rep tactics, an article on basic scientists and industry, and a study that documents the effect of Why Lunch Matters, a presentation that is the first to document a significant change in physicians' perceptions about their own individual vulnerability to pharmaceutical marketing.

PharmedOut has also criticized industry support of continuing medical education and industry support of patient advocacy groups, and has compiled a list of pharma-free patient advocacy groups.

In its first 10 years, PharmedOUT has published the first studies on "Relationships between surgeons and medical device representatives", "Pharmacists' beliefs regarding pharmaceutical companies", "How drug company representatives influence physicians", "Promotional Tone in industry-influenced articles", "How companies market drugs off-label", "How ghostwriting sold menopausal hormone therapy", "Reverse-engineering marketing messages in industry-funded CME", "The way pharma targets individuals with hemophilia and other expensive diseases", "The first national survey of family medicine resident interactions with pharmaceutical companies", and "The effects of our first educational module about industry tactics on physicians' perceptions of their own vulnerability to marketing".

References

References

  1. (February 23, 2015). "Q&A: Dr. Adriane Fugh-Berman".
  2. "About Us - Pharmed OUT".
  3. "Resources - Pharmed OUT".
  4. (22 May 2012). "Pharmed Out: an Interview With Adriane Fugh-Berman".
  5. (20 June 2017). "Lessons From a Professor's 10-Year Fight to Rein In Pharmaceutical Promotion". The Chronicle of Higher Education.
  6. (26 January 2018). "Women & the Opioid Epidemic - NWHN".
  7. Fugh-Berman, Adriane. "5 myths about opioids".
  8. (21 September 2017). "Rx For Change: Obfuscating Opioid Risks - NWHN".
  9. "Boston Review — Adriane Fugh-Berman: Selling Diseases".
  10. (27 May 2015). "Rx for Change — Binge-Eating Disorder: Another Invented Disease Brought to You by Pharma".
  11. (2016). "Treatment of Men for "Low Testosterone": A Systematic Review". PLOS ONE.
  12. (2017). "Testosterone and sexual function". Current Opinion in Urology.
  13. (2010). "The Haunting of Medical Journals: How Ghostwriting Sold "HRT"". PLOS Medicine.
  14. (2015). "Hypoactive sexual desire disorder: Inventing a disease to sell low libido". Journal of Medical Ethics.
  15. (June 14, 2017). "The Score is Even. Bioethics Forum".
  16. (March 17, 2015). "The Drug that Cried "Feminism". Bioethics Forum".
  17. "September 25, 2015 – Journal of Medical Ethics blog".
  18. (18 July 2016). "Taking Sides: Should ob/gyns prescribe flibanserin for their patients?".
  19. (7 October 2016). "EpiPens and the Sale of Fear". The Hastings Center.
  20. (9 May 2017). "RX for Change: The Real Cost of EpiPen Shots? Peanuts! - NWHN".
  21. Fugh-Berman, Adriane. "EpiPens are oversold and overused - Opinion".
  22. Fugh-Berman, Adriane. "Doctor: My criticism of EpiPens accurate - Opinion".
  23. (2017). "Influence of pharmaceutical marketing on Medicare prescriptions in the District of Columbia". PLOS ONE.
  24. (2013). "Physicians Under the Influence: Social Psychology and Industry Marketing Strategies". The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics.
  25. (2017). "Pharmacist-industry relationships". International Journal of Pharmacy Practice.
  26. (2016). "Salespeople in the Surgical Suite: Relationships between Surgeons and Medical Device Representatives". PLOS ONE.
  27. (2016). "Direct-to-consumer Marketing to People with Hemophilia". PLOS Medicine.
  28. (2008). "Off-Label Promotion, On-Target Sales". PLOS Medicine.
  29. (2007). "Following the Script: How Drug Reps Make Friends and Influence Doctors". PLOS Medicine.
  30. (2013). "How Basic Scientists Help the Pharmaceutical Industry Market Drugs". PLOS Biology.
  31. (2010). "Why lunch matters: Assessing physiciansʼ perceptions about industry relationships". Journal of Continuing Education in the Health Professions.
  32. (2016). "CME stands for commercial medical education: And ACCME still won't address the issue". Journal of Medical Ethics.
  33. (29 August 2016). "EpiPen Furor: Patient Groups Take Money, Stay Mum". The Hastings Center.
  34. "Pharma-Free Groups".

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medical-and-health-organizations-based-in-washington,-d.c.pharmaceutical-industry-in-the-united-statesorganizations-established-in-2006georgetown-university-programsopioid-epidemic2006-establishments-in-the-united-states2006-establishments-in-washington-(state)