Healthy Skepticism Library item: 3380

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

Turner J.
Antibiotic conference cancelled for second time
Lancet 1986; 1:333

Abstract:

For the second time an international conference that was to review antibiotic use around the world has been cancelled due to protest from the pharmaceutical industry. The meeting was jointly organized by the United States National Institutes of Health and the World Health Organization and was to have had working groups which would analyze the information given to doctors on antibiotic prescribing, prescribing patterns in various parts of the world, their effect on antibiotic resistance and what could be done in terms of regulation and education to improve the situation. These plans caused alarm bells to ring in the pharmaceutical industry which saw them as a threat to its profits. Letters were sent to the U.S. Assistant Secretary for Health from Wyeth International, Beecham and Wellcome protesting about industry critics who were going to be invited to the meeting. NIH subsequently withdrew funding for the conference.

Keywords:
*news story/United States/National Institutes of Health/World Health Organization/WHO/Wyeth/Beecham/Wellcome/antibiotics/PROMOTION DISGUISED: DISINFORMATION AND HARASSMENT/PROMOTION IN SPECIFIC THERAPEUTIC AREAS: ANTIBIOTICS