Healthy Skepticism Library item: 2481

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

CMAJ
The invisible hand of the marketing department.
CMAJ 2002 Jul 9; 167:(1):5
http://www.cmaj.ca/cgi/content/full/167/1/5

Abstract:

The cost of bringing a new drug to market is estimated at about US$600 million. It makes business sense for the drug industry to favour common conditions over rarer ones, to target pharmaceutically accessible risk factors, and to build marginally better variants of existing treatments Evidence is accumulating that companies design clinical trials to obtain favourable results, recruit study subjects whose risks of adverse events are lower, and conduct Phase IV trials to expand market share. The marketing message has become subtle. How do we detect the influence of sponsorship? Over 59% of experts writing Clinical Practice Guidelines reported financial ties with manufacturers of products recommended. 7% admitted that money influenced their recommendations, but 19% thought their colleagues were so influenced. 6 of 9 experts selected to write guidelines that recommended alteplase as the initial treatment of choice for stroke received money from the drug’s manufacturer, Genentech, which has ‘donated’ over US$11 million to the American Heart Association. One might call such donations a purchase of influence. Financial conflicts of interest cannot be eliminated entirely, but they should be disclosed. Marketing departments are experts in disguise, and one of those disguises is science.

Keywords:
Advertising Canada Clinical Trials Drug Industry/economics* Economic Competition* Ethics, Medical* Humans United States *editorial Canada