Why this matters:

Although two government investigations have found Dr. Bluestone’s evidence to be unduly representative of drug companies’ interests and unbalanced in determining the efficacy of antibiotics in treating ear infections, a branch of the Department of Health and Human Services released federal guidelines supporting Bluestone’s research. The guidelines were not only used by HMO’s and insurance companies for years to determine appropriate treatment, but also by pediatricians. The scope of this problem is considerable: in 1990, 24.5 million patients saw their doctor primarily for ear infections, and drugs were ordered 29 million times. While some experts believe that there is virtually nothing to gain from prescribing antibiotics, there is much to lose. The widespread use of antibiotic treatment has added to the creation of antibiotic resistant organisms. Additionally, this case reflects the bigger issue of mixing public and private funds for medical research without appropriate disclosure.

In 1994, when POGO released this report, we were successful in persuading the federal government to change its policies from recommending the use of antibiotics to also recommending “watchful waiting” as a reasonable alternative. In 2004, the federal government finally reversed its position, the government is finally discouraging the use of antibiotics for treatment of childrens ear infections - but not before the pharmaceutical industry made $4 billion from producing and selling these drugs.