August 11th, 2002
Heartfelt Advice, Hefty Fees
By Melody Peterson
The New York Times
In a rare interview, Lauren Bacall appeared on the NBC “Today” program in March, telling Matt Lauer about a good friend who had gone blind from an eye disease and urging the audience to see their doctors to be tested for it. Ms. Bacall then mentioned a drug called Visudyne, a new treatment for the disease known as macular degeneration. She never revealed that she was being paid to tell the story, and neither did the network, NBC.