Healthy Skepticism Library item: 3098

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

Publicity and the public’s ‘right to know’
New Zealand Pharmacy 1982; 2:(6):19, 22

Abstract:

The Clinical services division director in the Department of Health, Dr. John Phillips, has noticed that lately some pharmaceutical manufacturers have been putting out press releases about their new drugs. He is concerned that intensive media publicity at the introduction of a new medicine could result in unusually heavy usage of a new product before its full safety profile is known. He also questioned the practice of drug companies sponsoring speaking tours by researchers. The Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Association strongly favours the use of press releases because they allow a manufacturer to present the facts in the most informed and accurate way possible. This is especially important because sales representatives are having a harder time seeing doctors and therefore doctors may not hear about new medications. According to the president of the PMA patients shouldn’t be denied access to new medications because their doctors are uninformed and that justifies the use of press releases.

Keywords:
*news story/New Zealand/ direct-to-consumer advertising/ information from companies/ press conferences and releases/ company sponsored tours/safety & risk information/health and healthcare/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: INDUSTRY/ATTITUDES REGARDING PROMOTION: REGULATORS AND GOVERNMENT/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: DRUG SAFETY/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: CONSUMERS AND PATIENTS/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: HEALTH AND HEALTH CARE/INFLUENCE OF PROMOTION: PRESCRIBING, DRUG USE/PROMOTION AS A SOURCE OF INFORMATION: CONSUMERS AND PATIENTS/PROMOTION DISGUISED: COMPANY SPONSORED SPEAKING TOURS AND CONFERENCE SPEAKERS/PROMOTION DISGUISED: PRESS CONFERENCES AND PRESS COVERAGE