Healthy Skepticism Library item: 6588

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

Mansfield P.
Are pharmaceutical customers prey or partners?
Scrip Magazine 1995 Jun; (36):14-15
www.pjbpubs.co.uk/scrip/scrhome.html

Abstract:

Is there an unavoidable conflict between a company’s responsibility to make a profit and the interests of customers? The industry has often appeared to favour profit over the customer’s needs. Misleading promotion may be profitable in the short term but it hurts the customer and thus damages the industry in the long run. It will be in the interests of all companies to move from selling by misleading, to profiting from providing excellent customer service. Complaints to self-regulatory bodies may limit some of the most offensive ads, but do little about their underlying cause.

Keywords:
*analysis/quality of information/market share/ profit motive/ reputation of company/regulation of promotion/attitude toward promotion/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: HEALTH PROFESSIONALS/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: INDUSTRY/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: GENERAL QUALITY OF INFORMATION/REGULATION, CODES, GUIDELINES: INDUSTRY SELF-REGULATION