Healthy Skepticism Library item: 1220

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

Dubois RW.
Pharmaceutical promotion: don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.
Health Aff (Millwood) 2003 Jan-Jun; Suppl:
http://content.healthaffairs.org/cgi/reprint/hlthaff.w3.96v1

Abstract:

Spending on prescription drugs and promotion by the pharmaceutical industry grew substantially during the past ten years. Does the greater exposure offered by promotion fill a needed educational gap, or does it merely promote inappropriate use? This paper uses two recent studies to explore this question, presenting a framework in which the impact of promotion depends upon the level of evidence and consensus on drug use.

Keywords:
Consensus Drug Industry/economics Drug Industry/trends* Drug Utilization/statistics & numerical data* Health Care Surveys Health Services Misuse Humans Marketing/trends* Patient Participation* Physician's Practice Patterns/statistics & numerical data* Prescriptions, Drug/economics Prescriptions, Drug/statistics & numerical data Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't United States