Healthy Skepticism Library item: 3232

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

Coffman K.
Drug companies can help educate your patients . . . if only you’d let them
Canadian Doctor 1984 Mar33-35

Abstract:

Canada’s leading pharmaceutical companies believe that the patient education material they provide to physicians is an integral part of their service to the medical community and to the patient population. On average, the major firms spend anywhere from thousands to nearly a million dollars annually on just such information. Companies understand that physicians are reluctant to distribute such “promotional” material and many companies now produce literature that does not mention a drug but merely discusses the management of pathologies. Many doctors discard this type of material without ever looking at it and by doing this may be excluding things that will help their patients.

Keywords:
*news story/Canada/doctors/patients/promotional literature/patient education material/information from companies/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: CONSUMERS AND PATIENTS/INFORMATION FROM INDUSTRY: PATIENTS AND CONSUMERS/INFORMATION FROM INDUSTRY: PHARMACISTS/PROMOTION AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION: CONSUMERS AND PATIENTS