Healthy Skepticism Library item: 2579

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

Wazana A.
Gifts to physicians from the pharmaceutical industry [1st of 2 replies]
JAMA 2000 May 24-31; 283:(20):2675

Abstract:

The relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry extends to advertising found in journals as suggested by Howard and Edwards. A published survey on physicians’ perceptions of 2 drugs for which commercial messages about efficacy differed from scientific sources found that although physicians reported paying little attention to advertising their answers revealed their receptivity to commercial sources. There are few studies looking at this interaction. Several journals have made it their policy not to allow advertisements related to medicine. Howard questions whether perks influence physicians and attributes changes in prescription behavior to increased knowledge. Two studies refuting this claim are cited. Many newspapers will not allow their writers to cover a topic if they have received any perks while researching the topic. Vollman’s concerns are shared as well as his suggestion that we should pay for our own meals. Ultimately we must ask ourselves on whose shoulders the responsibility of maintaining professional competency should fall. We are facing the same issues a decade later and as suggested by McKinney and Rich might even be falling behind as a result of the industry’s new marketing strategies.

Keywords:
*letter to the editor United States Canada