Healthy Skepticism Library item: 3287

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

Mintz M.
At any cost: corporate greed, women, and the Dalkon Shield
1985;

Abstract:

One of the part owners of the Dalkon Corporation wrote an influential article about the Dalkon Shield in a major medical journal without revealing his conflict of interest. A. H. Robins, the company that bought the Dalkon Shield, ordered 199000 reprints of the article to distribute to doctors. Journal ads run by Robins selectively cited literature about the product to make it seem safer and more effective than it really was. To get to women, Robins planted Shield propaganda in the guise of news in United States and foreign newspapers, magazines and on television and radio shows.

Keywords:
*analysis/United States/Dalkon Shield/A. H. Robins/conflict of interest/journal advertisements/references/quality of information/ acknowledgement of funding/ company supplied articles/ industry generated publicity/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: LINKS BETWEEN HEALTH PROFESSIONALS AND INDUSTRY/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: JOURNAL ADVERTISEMENTS/PROMOTION DISGUISED: APPOINTMENTS AND RETAINERS/PROMOTION DISGUISED: CLINICAL TRIALS/PROMOTION DISGUISED: JOURNAL REPRINTS/PROMOTION DISGUISED: PRESS CONFERENCES AND PRESS COVERAGE/PROMOTIONAL TECHNIQUES: ENDORSEMENTS/VOLUME OF AND EXPENDITURE ON PROMOTION