The Haunting of Medical Journals: How Ghostwriting Sold “HRT”

planning is the process by which pharmaceutical, biotech, and medical device companies produce and release articles in medical journals and posters at meetings to establish key marketing messages Some companies employ writers and publication planners, and most hire medical education and communication companies (MECCs) to create publications. Academic physicians are invited by these MECCs to ''author'' prewritten articles It is unknown how many academics participate, or how many articles in peer-reviewed medical journals are ghostwritten, but there is concern that the practice may be extensive.