Dr. Andrew Weil responds to accusations that he concealed information in an effort to continue
In a January 24th story, titled, “Supplementing Their Income,” the Center for Science in the Public Interest (CSPI), Washington, D.C., spotlighted three individuals it believes “used their fame to hawk vitamins, herbs and other dietary supplements.” The three gentleman named in the story were Dr. Andrew Weil, Dr. Phil McGraw and Larry King. Much of the focus of the article, however, fell on Dr. Weil.
In short, the article discussed the supplement-related business dealings these individuals have, or had, with certain companies or products. In Dr. Weil’s case, the article highlighted his contract with Drugstore.com, as well as his new supplement line, Weil Nutritional Supplements, and the Weil Foundation.
In an interview with CSPI senior nutritionist David Schardt, who wrote the article, he said, “Dr. Weil is not as objective an authority on alternative medicine as he claims himself to be,” he said. “He has a lot to gain.” Mr. Schardt claims the more supplements people buy through Dr. Weil’s advice, the more he gains and that consumers should bear this in mind when they listen to him.
Dr. Weil launched his own line of nutritional supplements last year, which has been picked up by some major retailers and Internet sites. He has also been a featured guest on the Today Show, in addition to being a cover story in TIME magazine.
Given all this attention, CSPI decided to dig a little deeper into the “good” doctor’s affiliation with Drugstore.com and Weil Nutritional Supplements. With regard to the latter, Mr. Schardt said, “Dr. Weil is very careful to say in interviews, in his book and on his website that he donates all after tax profits from the supplement line to a ‘foundation.’ But he doesn’t really give any explanation for what that actually means. The public simply deserves to know where Dr. Weil’s financial interests lie.”
So what was Dr. Weil’s reaction to the article? “I was outraged by it, frankly,” he said. “It contained a lot of misinformation.” And, said Dr. Weil, he doesn’t feel he belongs in the same category as Dr. Phil or Larry King. “I am a medically trained person and I have a serious presence in academic medicine,” he commented. “My major work is trying to reform medical education and transform healthcare in this country. I think that is very different from what the other people mentioned in the CSPI article do.”
Dr. Weil says he has tried very hard to do the right thing in terms of the information he gives out to the public, in addition to the quality of products he recommends and that bear his name. “I really resent the implication that I have done all of this in order to take advantage of the public’s trust and that my major motivation is making money for myself,” he said.
In Dr. Weil’s view, CSPI has had long-standing bias against dietary supplements. “I believe some of the motivation for writing this article probably stems from the fact that I have been an effective spokesperson for their use,” he said.
Industry expert Loren Israelsen, executive director, Utah Natural Products Alliance (UNPA), Salt Lake City, UT, was also struck by the negative tone of the article. “I have known Andy for 20 years and there is no one I regard more highly in terms of personal ethical conduct. I have been in his kitchen while he is making dinner and he uses nothing but organic ingredients to create a truly organic meal from start to finish. He really does everything he asks everyone else to do.”
Furthermore, Mr. Israelsen said, Dr. Weil has been absolutely straightforward about his mission regarding the Program in Integrative Medicine (PIM) at the University of Arizona, which receives funding from the Weil Foundation.
Woody Wickham, executive director of the Weil Foundation, agreed. “It is so well known that Andy’s purpose in setting up the foundation and entering the retail marketplace was precisely to move funds toward both the Program in Integrative Medicine and other groups working in integrative medicine,” he said. “If we all have a wish to see sales flourish, it is so the project of moving integrative medicine across the country has the funding it needs.”
Mr. Israelsen is also very familiar with Mr. Schardt and CSPI. “David is a smart guy and I have admired some of the work carried out by CSPI in the past, specifically in the realm of good nutrition and dietary practices. But this article clearly went over the top,” he said. “At this point, I just have to look at CSPI differently.”
Mr. Israelsen believes this particular piece will erode CSPI’s credibility going forward and that if there was any underlying doubt about its bias against dietary supplements, it’s gone now. “It’s a shame because I do feel CSPI has had some important things to say, but what was supposed to be investigative journalism ended up being a drive-by shooting in this case.
CSPI’s initial point of interest in Dr. Weil began with a lawsuit brought by Drugstore.com last summer. To provide some background, the five-year partnership was projected to pay Weil Lifestyle an estimated $14.5 million in revenue through 2008. This was a red flag to Mr. Schardt. “I have never seen him discuss this Drugstore.com deal and I think the millions of dollars exchanging hands is a pretty significant piece of information that consumers should know,” he said. “I think those who listen to and admire Dr. Weil would be astonished at the amount of money he and his company are being paid.”
The partnership between Dr. Weil and Drugstore.com, however, came to a screeching halt at the end of December because, according to David Stoup, co-chairman of Weil Lifestyle, “We couldn’t agree with their definition of what appropriate promotion was.” Long story short, Dr. Weil wasn’t aggressive enough in his promotion of products for Drug­store.com. As a result, Dr. Weil and the company walked away from about $10 million in payments in order to keep its integrity intact.
The second point of contention in the CSPI article had to do with the Weil Foundation, which was established to provide grants and funding to integrative medicine programs across the country. The purpose for launching Weil Nutritional Supplements was to create a more constant funding mechanism for this foundation.
Mr. Schardt’s issue is that the foundation is not pumping out grants fast enough according to the latest tax returns. But Weil Lifestyle says, “In 2003-2004, the company hadn’t yet formed partnerships with philosophically-aligned consumer product companies that promised Dr. Weil’s after-tax profits would be donated to the Weil Foundation.”
Additionally, it wasn’t until 2005 that Dr. Weil’s products were prominently on the market nationwide. As planned, the company said it will make its first contribution to the Weil Foundation in 2006 and aims to donate $10 million over the next 10 years. Other money generated by Weil Lifestyle will continue to cover operating costs for the company, as well as the three million-word website, drweil.com, and other expenses.
Woody Wickham, executive director of the Weil Foundation, said the flow of the proceeds from these enterprises into the foundation is right on schedule. “We knew that it would be two to three years before these enterprises would be able to generate significant profits, which could be funneled back into the foundation in order to generate grants,” he explained.
Despite knowing all of this, Mr. Schardt is still convinced that Dr. Weil has a lot to gain by “promoting his life’s work.”
Mr. Stoup says the irony about all of this is that Dr. Weil had the perfect opportunity to go into business (as so many others have) on a “for profit” basis, but he chose not to. “And somehow for all of these efforts, he is being criticized?” he said. “I just don’t get it.” NW