Healthy Skepticism Library item: 5544

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: news

Ragg M.
The drug pushers
The Bulletin 1993

Abstract:

Drug companies try to create an atmosphere of awareness for their drugs. This might involve paying for a journalist from Australia to fly to New York for a one hour press conference, giving gifts to doctors and paying for public relations companies to publish newsletters reporting what a few experts said at a conference. These newsletters typically do not reveal that the drug company organized the original event and paid for their publication. Public relations firms play an important role, they will commission journalists to write stories favourable to their clients and pay them if the article gets published in a magazine. The deputy chairman of the Medical Publishers Association of Australia defends advertising saying that it doesn’t plant thoughts in people’s minds it just creates awareness.

Keywords:
*feature story/Australia/doctors/journalists/public relations firms/ company funded newsletters/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: PAYMENT FOR MEALS, ACCOMODATION, TRAVEL, ENTERTAINMENT/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: JOURNALISTS/PROMOTION DISGUISED: PHYSICIAN EDUCATION MATERIAL AND GUIDELINES/SPONSORSHIP: JOURNALISTS