Prometheus 6

On the other hand, it is the most effective target.

With its debut two weeks ago, the Sermo site generated debate by prominently featuring postings from several doctors saying that Pfizer Inc.'s cholesterol-fighter Lipitor induces vivid and repeated nightmares in some patients as well as a posting by one doctor that said the diabetes drug Byetta, marketed jointly by Amylin Pharmaceuticals and Eli Lilly and Co. , was associated with ``sudden death" in 50 patients.

There has been almost nothing published about either problem in medical literature. Both drug companies, which reviewed the website after questions from the Globe, said the physicians' anecdotal observations appeared to be inaccurate.

Website seeks doctors' take on drugs, and firms are crying foul
By Christopher Rowland, Globe Staff  |  October 14, 2006

A Cambridge company that pays doctors to post medical observations on its website, including reports of drug side effects, has quickly incurred the wrath of pharmaceutical makers.

Sermo Inc. , founded by a surgical resident-turned-entrepreneur and backed by $3 million of venture capital, is promoting the website, sermo.com, as a novel Internet community. It's a password-protected private forum where raw postings by doctors can be viewed, for a fee, by Wall Street investment firms.

Founder and chief executive Daniel Palestrant says the site will serve as an early-warning system about potentially dangerous drug reactions. The site will also be a forum for doctors to share information about so-called off-label uses of drugs, for conditions other than those approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

The FDA, which is charged with monitoring drug safety, has come under criticism for failing to respond to reports of drug side effects, and for not making manufacturers follow through on pledges to monitor safety after their products are on the market.