While there’s much to celebrate in medicine, it’s now beyond doubt that we have too much of it. Too many tests, diagnoses, pills and procedures are wasting resources that could be better spent meeting genuine need.

As a recent OECD report concluded that up to one-fifth of health spending may be wasted, and many patients “unnecessarily harmed” by treatments they didn’t need.

Antidepressants, for example, can be life-savers for some people. But drug company-funded studies have overplayed their benefits and downplayed their harms, contributing to overuse and unnecessary side effects.

Widespread industry influence is jeopardising the integrity of research and medical education, and threatening the quality of patient care.