Healthy Skepticism Library item: 4483

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

O’reilly D.
Drug doctors under fire
The Bulletin 1992 Mar 2420-21

Abstract:

Companies are spending $150-$200 million annually promoting drugs in Australia and between 16-31% of promotions are misleading. Two reports will be released in the next few weeks recommending tightening up on the industry’s self-regulatory code of behaviour. 40% of the promotion budget is spent on sales representatives who admit that they are trained in “psychological techniques” to get doctors on side. Doctors are also offered accomodation and travel packages for themselves and sometimes their spouses ot attend conferences, seminars and workshops. These may be hosted by drug companies and be nothing but thinly veiled promotions. The Australian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association denies that promotion is manipulative and that doctors are “highly qualified people and, like most technical people, are pretty analytical.”

Keywords:
*feature story/Australia/promotion costs and volume/sales representatives/ Australian Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association/ industry perspective/ quality of information/ drug company sponsored meals and travel/ regulation of promotion/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: HEALTH PROFESSIONALS/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: INDUSTRY/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: GIFT GIVING/ETHICAL ISSUES IN PROMOTION: PAYMENT FOR MEALS, ACCOMODATION, TRAVEL, ENTERTAINMENT/PROMOTION DISGUISED: SUPPORT FOR CME/REGULATION, CODES, GUIDELINES: INDUSTRY SELF-REGULATION