Healthy Skepticism Library item: 4505

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: Journal Article

Chetley A.
Promoting health or pushing drugs?
HAI News 1992 Oct; (67):1-2, 10-12

Abstract:

Most drug promotion is directed at healthcare workers but increasingly companies are targeting the general public to apply indirect pressure on healthcare workers to prescribe. Taken in total, drug promotion is a comprehensive attempt to influence health professionals and the general public to suspend their critical judgement about which medicines to use. This article briefly discusses the following topics: misleading promotion; industry self-regulatory codes; advertising; sales representatives; bribes and gifts; consequences of uncontrolled drug promotion; implementing the World Health Organization’s Ethical Criteria for Medicinal Drug Promotion; strengthening national regulations on promotion; how professional associations can help to control promotion; and ending secrecy around information.

Keywords:
*analysis/doctors/general public and consumers/DTCA/direct-to-consumer advertising/regulation of promotion/quality of information/gift giving/bribery/journal advertisements/sales representatives/WHO/World Health Organization/Ethical Criteria for Medicinal Drug Promotion/health and healthcare/ healthcare costs/promotion costs and volume/source of information/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: GIFT GIVING/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: LINKS BETWEEN HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND INDUSTRY/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: PAYMENT FOR MEALS, ACCOMODATION, TRAVEL, ENTERTAINMENT/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: DETAILING/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: GENERAL QUALITY OF INFORMATION/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: JOURNAL ADVERTISEMENTS/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: CONSUMER DRUG COSTS/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: PRESCRIBING, DRUG USE/PROMOTION AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION: DOCTORS/PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES: DIRECT-TO-CONSUMER ADVERTISING/REGULATION, CODES, GUIDELINES: DIRECT GOVERNMENT REGULATION/REGULATION, CODES, GUIDELINES: HEALTH PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS/REGULATION, CODES, GUIDELINES: INDUSTRY SELF-REGULATION/REGULATION, CODES, GUIDELINES: INTERNATIONAL CODES