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Testing for depression -- and conflict of interest -- at WebMD

E-mail | Print | Comments () Posted by Elizabeth Cooney March 2, 2010 10:12 AM

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Newburyport psychiatrist Dr. Daniel Carlat tells an interesting tale on his blog about the online health site WebMD, drug maker Eli Lilly, and Senator Charles Grassley's investigation of the two.

Last month the Iowa Republican asked WebMD to explain why it was using a depression screening test paid for by Lilly that seems to point users toward its antidepressant Cymbalta. The test was advertised in a WebMD TV commercial that directed viewers to its web site. Carlat took a look at the test, which uses a standard set of questions, most of which could point someone toward a whole class of medications, not just Lilly's.

But one question about aches and pains applied only to Cymbalta, he says, whose sales exceeded $3 billion last year, according to a Dow Jones item on Grassley's probe in the Wall Street Journal.

"Lilly markets Cymbalta as the 'go to' antidepressant for patients who have both depression and physical pain," Carlat writes. "This is not really a 'depression screening test' at all. Instead, it is a 'Cymbalta-requester' screening test."

A WebMD spokeswoman told Dow Jones the company believes "our internal process ensures our editorial independence in our programs." A response to Grassley is due Thursday.

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About white coat notes

White Coat Notes covers the latest from the health care industry, hospitals, doctors offices, labs, insurers, and the corridors of government. Chelsea Conaboy previously covered health care for The Philadelphia Inquirer. Write her at cconaboy@boston.com. Follow her on Twitter: @cconaboy.

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