Healthy Skepticism Library item: 15260
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
Islam MS, Farah SS.
Drug promotional brochure as a source of drug information in Bangladesh: a critical analysis of the brochures for the authenticity of information.
Calicut Medical Journal 2008 Jan-Mar; 6:(1):e5
http://calicutmedicaljournal.info/2008/1/e5.pdf
Abstract:
Background
Pharmaceutical companies are the only information providers to the health professionals in Bangladesh. It is well-known that misleading drug promotion is quite common in Bangladesh. But no study is conducted till now to gauge the nature and prevalence of misleading promotion in the country.
Methods
A convenience sample of 115 drug promotional brochures was collected from top 10 practicing general practitioner of a district town of Bangladesh. Promotional claims from those brochures were critically analyzed and compiled with the help of currently available medical literatures. Promotional claims not substantiated by proper scientific evidences were considered as misleading claims. The misleading claims were further categorized debatable, overstated, and ambiguous and
forged to specify the nature of misleading claims for better understanding.
Results
About 34% of the total promotional claims were found to be misleading from the evaluated promotional brochures. Of the total misleading claims, 50% were based on unsettled evidences and about 22% were presented exaggeratedly in those promotional brochures. Prevalence of ambiguous and
forged claims was reported to be about 16% and 12% respectively.
Conclusions
Prevalence of misleading claims in the pharmaceutical promotional brochures appeared to be high in Bangladesh. Such misleading promotion may lead to inappropriate prescribing of drugs by the
health professionals.
Keywords:
drug promotional brochure; misleading claims; third world countries;
