Heather Guidone, the Surgical Program Director of the Center for Endometriosis Care in Atlanta, Georgia wrote “Under the Influence: Pharmaceutical Relationships &
Their Impact on Endometriosis Care.” She is responsible for the management of the Center’s multidisciplinary care program and for clinical research and education. Her primary focus is on improving outcomes by reducing the time to diagnosis and fighting for equitable access to effective treatments.
Heather has long been a champion for endometriosis policy reform, patient-centered care, and education. As an advocate for endometriosis and women’s health-related policy improvements and reforms, she has testified before state and federal legislatures and co-authored legislation passed by local and national lawmakers. These efforts have included a focus on the effects of systemic racism and the experiences of gender-diverse persons related to delayed diagnosis, lack of patient-centered care, and inappropriate treatment.
Through network-building among providers, patient advocates, legislators, and governmental and professional working groups, Heather strives to ensure stakeholder representation in arenas that encompass the treatment of endometriosis and reproductive health. Her efforts have not only improved outcomes for individuals with the disease but also significantly increased the awareness of endometriosis as a priority public health platform.
Abstract:
“Under the Influence: Pharmaceutical Relationships & Their Impact on Endometriosis Care” meticulously details marketing tactics used by pharmaceutical companies to ensure that medical society treatment guidelines, such as those of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology, describe their patented and costly products as first-line, definitive treatment. While gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogs can be useful for treating the pain associated with endometriosis, they are not curative, and they are associated with high rates of significant side effects, including depression and osteoporosis. Other drugs to treat endometriosis pain, such as progestins and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, are underemphasized in treatment guidelines despite the fact that they are less expensive and have fewer side effects. Guidone demonstrates how the industry promotes proprietary drugs through entities that receive corporate funding, including patient support communities and politicians. These promotional efforts are multi-layered, extensive, and frequently non-transparent, and can result in unnecessary pain and hardship for patients, including loss of fertility and diminished quality of life resulting from delay of accurate diagnosis and appropriate, multidisciplinary treatment.
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