Cochrane Review of 93 Studies Links Pharma Payments to Less Appropriate and Costlier Prescribing

Cochrane synthesis of 93 studies confirms pharma marketing shifts prescribing toward costlier, less appropriate agents, with gifts and meals showing the clearest signal. The opioid example illustrates systemic risk, yet observational designs limit causal claims and outcome data. Stronger policy experiments are required to measure downstream patient and fiscal impacts.