The call for strengthening the 1988 WHO document on ethical criteria for drug promotion (1) is at best naive:
Firstly, promotion cannot be ethical, it only serves the industry’s natural interest: profit. Each year drug companies pay billion $ to settle civil and criminal investigations into its sales practices.(2)
Secondly, promotion cannot be regulated. The flow is out of control ($24 billion on marketing to physicians and $3 billion on advertising to consumers in 2012 in the US) and, spending on research is inferior to the one on marketing.(3,4) There are enough studies about inappropriate information from research funded by the industry.(5)
Parker et al’s proposal seems a remake of the flawed Responsibility Deal.(6,7) Promotion must be banned. The ban must begin with direct to consumer advertising.(8)
1 Parker L, Williams J, Bero L. Ethical drug marketing criteria for the 21st century. BMJ 2018;361:k1809.
2 Braillon A. Drug industry is now biggest defrauder of US government. BMJ 2012;344:d8219.
Rapid Response:
Ethical drug marketing: an oxymoron?
The call for strengthening the 1988 WHO document on ethical criteria for drug promotion (1) is at best naive:
Firstly, promotion cannot be ethical, it only serves the industry’s natural interest: profit. Each year drug companies pay billion $ to settle civil and criminal investigations into its sales practices.(2)
Secondly, promotion cannot be regulated. The flow is out of control ($24 billion on marketing to physicians and $3 billion on advertising to consumers in 2012 in the US) and, spending on research is inferior to the one on marketing.(3,4) There are enough studies about inappropriate information from research funded by the industry.(5)
Parker et al’s proposal seems a remake of the flawed Responsibility Deal.(6,7) Promotion must be banned. The ban must begin with direct to consumer advertising.(8)
1 Parker L, Williams J, Bero L. Ethical drug marketing criteria for the 21st century. BMJ 2018;361:k1809.
2 Braillon A. Drug industry is now biggest defrauder of US government. BMJ 2012;344:d8219.
3 Cegedim Strategic Data. 2012 U.S. pharmaceutical company promotion spending. 2013. Available at http://www.skainfo.com/health_care_market_reports/2012_promotional_spend... Accessed 1 May 2018
4 Staton T. Does pharma spend more on marketing than R&D? A numbers check Fiercepharma 2013, May 21. Available at http://www.fiercepharma.com/story/does-pharma-spend-more-marketing-rd-nu.... Accessed 1 May 2018.
5 Smith R, Gøtzsche PC, Groves T. Should journals stop publishing research funded by the drug industry? BMJ. 2014;348:g171.
6 Hawkes N. Food "responsibility deal" has cost 6000 lives, professor tells meeting. BMJ 2015;350:h676.
7 Wise J. Responsibility deal for alcohol has failed, says report. BMJ 2015;351:h6026.
8 Braillon A. Experience is a gloomy lantern that does not even illuminate its bearer. Arch Intern Med. 2012 13;172:294.
Competing interests: No competing interests