[1] The stated mission of the organization is to advance evidence-based prescribing and educate healthcare professionals about pharmaceutical marketing practices.
[2] This organization provides healthcare professionals with pharma-free continuing medical education (CME) and resources [3] to unbiased drug information.
[4] Since 2008, PharmedOut has been financially supported by individual donations and largely staffed by a volunteer team of physicians, pharmacists, nurses, scientists, lawyers, students, artists and writers.
[5] PharmedOut criticizes some medical research and practices, including overprescription of opioids,[6][7][8] industry construction of and influence on perceptions of diseases and symptoms,[9][10] misleading information about the benefits of and harms of testosterone,[11][12] menopausal hormone therapy,[13][14] flibanserin,[15][16][17][18][19] and Epipens.
[20][21][22][23] Articles in peer-reviewed publications include an article about how Medicare prescribers who accept industry gifts prescribe more medications (and more expensive medications),[24] one by Sunita Sah on how industry uses social psychology to manipulate physicians,[25] pharmacist-industry relationships,[26] an article on medical device salespeople and surgeons,[27] an analysis of pharmaceutical marketing to people with hemophilia[28] an analysis of how "key opinion leaders" are used to market drugs off-label,[29] an explanation of drug rep tactics,[30] an article on basic scientists and industry,[31] and a study that documents the effect of Why Lunch Matters,[32] a presentation that is the first to document a significant change in physicians' perceptions about their own individual vulnerability to pharmaceutical marketing.