Healthy Skepticism Library item: 638

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

Angel JE.
Drug advertisements and prescribing.
Lancet 1996 Nov 23; 348:(9039):1452-3

Keywords:
*letter to the editor United States industry perspective journal advertisements quality of information quality of prescribing attitude toward promotion FDA Food and Drug Administration ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: INDUSTRY EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: GENERAL QUALITY OF INFORMATION INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: PRESCRIBING, DRUG USE

Notes:

Wolfe’s commentary lends unwarranted credibility to a number of theses: 1) physicians are so uninformed and intellectually malleable that they can be manipulated into prescribing inappropriately; 2) marketing departments deliberately seek to mislead doctors; 3) no means is unjustified to achieve the sociopolitical aims of this group. Wolfe relies on the discredited Wilkes study (Michael S. Wilkes et al, Annals of Internal Medicine 1992;116:912-919). Communications sponsored by the United States pharmaceutical industry generally meets the highest standards of accuracy and fair balance. Ads are frequently reviewed and approved in advance of publication by the Food and Drug Administration.