Rx Needed for Medical Journals.

Most medical journal editors don't muddy their hands with advertising decisions, but the companies and societies that pay their salaries are not above agitating for a bigger piece of the $5 billion drug-industry advertising pie--and forcing editors to make their pages as industry-friendly as possible. Reed Elsevier's Excerpta Medica helps companies place positive articles about their drugs in top-tier medical journals, many of which are conveniently owned by medical firm Reed Elsevier. The Massachusetts Medical Society, which earns more than three-quarters of its income from journal revenues, pushes editors to be even more amenable to industry dollars, critics say.