Healthy Skepticism Library item: 4378

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: book

Medawar C.
Power and dependence: Social Audit on the safety of medicines
: Social Audit 1992
http://www.socialaudit.org.uk/122order.htm#1.22%20How%20to%20order

Abstract:

The book discusses some of the promotional tactics used by companies with respect to benzodiazepines. When companies were selling two drugs in this class one would be promoted as a hypnotic and one as a tranquilizer in order not to cut into each other’s sales. Roche provided assistance to a former employee in writing a review which downplayed the significance of dependence on benzodiazepines. Roche’s marketing strategy in the United States, at one time, involved identifying physician “champions” to utilize as speakers in hospitals and/or medical meetings. Claims about drugs were made on the basis of poorly conducted clinical trials. A Social Audit report drew attention to systematic differences in warnings that companies issued in different countries. The industry tried to dismiss these differences as being due to different regulatory requirements and differing views of experts on risks and benefits.

Keywords:
*analysis/United Kingdom/United States/ drug company sponsored research/ Hoffman LaRoche/ benzodiazepines/ psychotropic drugs/ conference speakers/ commercial compendia/ reaction to critics/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: GENERAL QUALITY OF INFORMATION/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: CONFERENCE SPEAKERS/PROMOTION DISGUISED: APPOINTMENTS AND RETAINERS/PROMOTION IN SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC AREAS: PSYCHIATRIC DISEASES