Healthy Skepticism Library item: 20474

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: Magazine

Mansfield PR
An eye on pharmaceutical marketing
Australian Doctor 1985 Jun 6

Full text:

Sir – Australian Doctor is to be congratulated for fair reporting of the strengths and weaknesses of the Medical Lobby for Appropriate Marketing and our efforts to encourage pharmaceutical marketing manufacturers to provide accurate information in the Third World (Australian Doctor, 6 March). However, certain comments by an anonymous representative should not be left unanswered.

The suggestion that MLAM has “a tendency to get carried away with things that happened 20 years ago” would be very damaging to us if it was true. In fact, all MLAM letters have referred to current dangerous marketing practices. We have never referred to advertisements older than 4 years.

We are very concerned by the suggestion that people who receive drug company money for research should feel restrained from legitimate criticism of that company. The implication that company grants could be used as bribes to ensure silence reflects badly on the industry. Drug companies need only fear criticism from MLAM if they are using clearly misleading advertising. All companies should support our aim of appropriate marketing of drugs and should welcome constructive, informed debate about the issue.

MLAM is primarily concerned with the more severe problems in the Third World, but we keep an eye on ads in all countries. The statement from the Australian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association – that “we haven’t had any complaints from doctors or the general public made to the APMA over Australian ads” – is curious. MLAM editor Dr Ken Harvey, working independently, has had extensive correspondence with APMA over misleading advertising, eg metronidazole and co-trimoxazole for tonsillitis.

International studies have shown that voluntary regulation just does not work. Consequently it would be interesting to see evidence to support the claim that “the mechanism exists within the APMA structure for all ads to be adequately monitored”.

Peter Mansfield
MLAM Secretary
Adelaide SA