Healthy Skepticism Library item: 13343

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

Big pharma spent $31m on promos to doctors
ABC News (Australia) 2008 Mar 28
http://www.abc.net.au/news/stories/2008/03/28/2201751.htm?section=justin

Notes:

Link to report summary on Medicines Australia site: http://www.medicinesaustralia.com.au/pages/page136.asp

Link to individual event reports:
http://www.medicinesaustralia.com.au/pages/page155.asp

Full text:

A report to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) shows drug companies spent $31 million promoting drugs to doctors in just six months last year.

Last year the ACCC ordered the national drug body, Medicines Australia, to make the type and cost of events used to promote drugs to doctors public.

Medicines Australia’s first report shows drug companies often invited doctors to exotic holiday resorts and expensive hotels to promote their products.

The cost of travel, accommodation and catering for the events totalled $16 million, with a further $15 million spent on associated costs.

The report by Medicines Australia shows doctors attended more than 14,000 events to learn about new drugs in the last half of 2007.

Medicines Australia chief executive Ian Chalmers says more than 200 of the events were held overseas.

“$31 million is a lot of money but the focus of the exchange between pharmaceutical companies and doctors is about the provision to doctors of the latest information on medicines,” he said.

“That is critically important as doctors need to make the right decision on treatment alternatives for their patients.”