Doctors outraged as psychiatrist 'funded by big pharma' suggests antidepressants should be given over-the-counter

Doctors have hit out at a top psychiatrist for suggesting antidepressants should be given over-the-counter - and failing to disclose he's received funds from several firms that make the mental health pills. 

In an opinion piece for STAT news, Harvard professor of psychiatry Dr Roy Perlis wrote that it was time to do 'everything possible' to give Americans easier access to medicine for mental health conditions like depression.

The physician, who also treats patients at Massachusetts General Hospital, argued that the drugs are safe and effective - and the need for them is greater than ever. 

It is estimated that some 50 million Americans are experiencing a mental illness and may benefit from medication to treat it. 

Dr Perlis argued that over-the-counter medicine would be especially helpful for those who are afraid to seek help due to the social stigma.

However, the mental health drugs - which are prescribed to more than one in eight adults in the US - have been linked to worrying side effects including psychiatric disturbances and sexual dysfunction.

On reading Dr Perlis' argument, experts took to X to highlight these potential harms - and flag his links to pharmaceutical companies. 

'Why can't this psychiatrist, who is calling for antidepressants to be sold over-the-counter, like aspirin, also declare his numerous drugs company ties at the foot of this very biased, harm-erasing article?' Dr James Davies, associate professor of medical anthropology and psychology at the University of Roehampton, London, asked on X. 

'These omissions are tedious and unprofessional,' he added.

Other medical professionals have described Mr Perlis' comments as evidence of 'corruption' in the is part of medicine.

'The fact that any psychiatrist, let alone one from a prominent academic institution, could suggest that antidepressants be sold over the counter... is evidence enough of how corrupt, unscientific and dangerous that medical specialty has become,' wrote psychologist Dr Roger McFillin.

Dr Perlis holds equity in Psy Therapeutics and Circular Genomics, according to his research papers and letters between 2022 and 2023 -  including one titled 'Conflict of interest and citation impact among dermatology guideline authors.'

Psy Therapeutics and Circular Genomics are early-stage biotechnology companies. On their websites, Psy Therapeutics says it is 'advancing a pipeline of high potential therapeutics' focused on anxiety and depression, while Circular Genomics is investigating using RNA 'for accurate diagnosis and treatment of psychiatric and neurological disorders.'

The research documents also declared that the physician had received personal fees and consulting fees from both firms.

Dr Perlis has also received consultant or speaker's fees from AstraZeneca, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Eli Lilly and Company, GlaxoSmithKline and Pfizer, as was disclosed in a 2005 research paper titled 'Industry Sponsorship and Financial Conflict of Interest in the Reporting of Clinical Trials in Psychiatry.'

These companies are major firms operating in the antidepressant market, according to the Antidepressants Global Market Report 2024.

Pfizer makes Zoloft, the most commonly prescribed antidepressant in the US, according to Definite Healthcare, while Eli Lilly makes Prozac, the fourth most commonly dispensed.

Dr Perlis's links were not disclosed in the disclaimer at the end of his recent commentary, as is standard.

When approached for comment by DailyMail.com, Dr Perlis said: 'My commentary was a plea to make mental health care more accessible. I work with companies trying to make better treatments, not promote old ones.'

He added that he has no consulting relationships with antidepressant manufacturers. 

A recent study by researchers at Yale University found that almost six in ten doctors in the US received more than $12 billion in payments from pharma firms in the past decade. Dr Perlis was not involved in this research.

Neurologists and psychiatrists were the second group cashing in the most, behind orthopedic surgeons, receiving a total sum of $1.32bn in payments from manufacturers.

Other clinicians have accused Dr Perlis of exaggerating the benefits of antidepressants. 

Several reviews, looking at hundreds of studies, have found that on average, about 40 to 50 per cent of people with depression and anxiety who take SSRIs see an overall improvement in mental health.

This means that for around 60 percent of patients, the drugs will not work. What's more, around half will experience one side effect and for one in ten, these problems are so severe they stop taking them. 

Studies show possible side effects of SSRIs can include nausea, vomiting or diarrhea, headache, drowsiness, dry mouth, insomnia, nervousness, agitation or restlessness, dizziness. 

Some patients also experience a worsening of their psychological symptoms - at least in the few weeks after they begin taking the drugs.

Up to 80 percent of patients have reported sexual dysfunction while taking antidepressants, compared to roughly 12 percent who took a placebo, according to studies from the University of Bologna in Italy and the University of Salamanca in Spain have shown.

Anecdotal reports suggest that many experience sexual problems years after they stop taking the drugs.

It comes as the contraceptive pill became available over-the-counter last month - meaning anyone can walk into a pharmacy and buy the FDA-approved Opill.

The change was hailed 'historic' by advocacy and medical groups such as Free the Pill and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which have been lobbying for years to make an OTC birth control pill available at an affordable price.

Opill has been safely in use for about five decades, but the US has been an outlier when it comes to making the pills available without a doctor's order. 

Calls have been made by doctors for other medications to also go OTC, including anti-nausea medication Zofran and EpiPens, which are used to treat allergic reactions.

Dr Perlis has been approached for comment.