Healthy Skepticism Library item: 6445

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

Poirier TI, Giannetti V, Giudici RA.
Pharmacists' and physicians' attitudes toward pharmaceutical marketing practices.
Am J Hosp Pharm 1994 Feb 1; 51:(3):378-81

Abstract:

Physicians and pharmacists on hospital pharmacy and therapeutics (P&T) committees were surveyed about their attitudes toward marketing practices. Less than one third of the respondents indicated that their P&T committee had a code of ethics or were planning to develop one in the next six months. Physicians were more likely to express satsifaction with marketing practices than pharmacists. Physicians perceived a larger negative effect of conflicts of interest on the objective evaluation of drugs for formulary inclusion than did pharmacists. There appeared to be a consensus among physicians and pharmacists that certain marketing practices used to influence formulary decisions or the use of specific products was unethical. However, opinion showed a fairly high degree of variability in gray areas such as free meals provided in conjunction with product detailing.

Keywords:
*analytic survey/doctors/pharmacies and pharmacists/hospitals/formularies/relationship between medical profession and industry/relationship between pharmacists and industry/bioethics/conflict of interest/attitude toward promotion/drug samples/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: HEALTH PROFESSIONALS/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: LINKS BETWEEN HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND INDUSTRY/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: PAYMENT FOR MEALS, ACCOMODATION, TRAVEL, ENTERTAINMENT/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: FORMULARY INCLUSION/PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES: SAMPLES/REGULATION, CODES, GUIDELINES: CONTACT WITH MEDICAL STUDENTS AND HOSPITAL STAFF Attitude of Health Personnel* Codes of Ethics Conflict of Interest Drug Industry* Ethics, Medical Ethics, Pharmacy Gift Giving Marketing of Health Services* Pennsylvania Pharmacists/psychology* Pharmacists/statistics & numerical data Physicians/psychology* Physicians/statistics & numerical data Questionnaires Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't