Healthy Skepticism Library item: 3059

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

Ross V.
Between bliss and bedlam
Maclean’s (Toronto) 1980 Dec 838-40, 42, 44

Abstract:

(Limited to parts of article dealing with promotion.) A sales representative for McNeil Laboratories described his job as “perceiving needs, or creating them.” Company training for detailers did not touch on mental illness or alternative therapies, although one of the drugs that McNeil promotes is an antipsychotic. According to the detailer “diagnosis is the doctor’s job. Besides, I can’t see how that would help us sell.” The Consumers’ Association of Canada takes the position that drug advertising shouldn’t be allowed at all.

Keywords:
*feature story/Canada/sales representatives/McNeil/Consumers’ Association of Canada/consumer groups/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: CONSUMERS/PATIENTS/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: SALES REPRESENTATIVES/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: DETAILING