Healthy Skepticism Library item: 4832

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

Prat EH.
[Is the pharmaceutical industry really as bad as its reputation?]
Wien Med Wochenschr 2005 Nov; 155:(21-22):502-12

Abstract:

The pharmaceutical industry has a bad image. Recently it has often also been criticised in internationally well-known medical journals. An exact examination in the context of the peculiarities of the pharmaceutical products’ market has shown that there are at present five areas where ethical problems in the pharmaceutical industry exist: poor information flow, the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and public health authorities, security standards and the scientific quality of research, provisioning, and priorities in research. It is difficult for the pharmaceutical industry to cope with conflicts of interest and their implications in these areas. There are surely individual ethical deficiencies and shortcomings but this is no reason for the whole branch to be castigated. In comparison to other branches, the pharmaceutical industry is much better than its image. People have to consume pharmaceutical products even though they do not like doing so, and therefore cannot be expected to champion the cause of the branch. It needs to adopt another strategy in order to improve its image.

Keywords:
Attitude of Health Personnel Clinical Trials/ethics Conflict of Interest Drug Costs/ethics Drug Industry/ethics* Drug Information Services/ethics English Abstract Ethics, Pharmacy* Humans Interprofessional Relations Public Opinion* Quality Assurance, Health Care/ethics