Promotion, information and advertising: Why increasingly blurred boundaries do not benefit the public

Journal of Generic Medicines

Volumn 1, Issue 2, 2004, Pages 128-136

  Glatter, Jackie ^a  

^a NONE

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

DONEPEZIL; GENERIC DRUG; NON PRESCRIPTION DRUG; PAROXETINE; ROFECOXIB; TERBINAFINE; TETRAHYDROLIPSTATIN; TROGLITAZONE;

ACCESS TO INFORMATION; ANXIETY DISORDER; ARTICLE; CONSUMER HEALTH INFORMATION; COST CONTROL; DRUG COST; DRUG FATALITY; DRUG INDUSTRY; DRUG INFORMATION; DRUG LEGISLATION; DRUG MARKETING; DRUG PACKAGING; DRUG RESEARCH; DRUG SAFETY; DRUG WITHDRAWAL; EUROPEAN UNION; HEALTH PROMOTION; HUMAN; INFORMATION DISSEMINATION; INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION; LIVER FAILURE; MEDICAL DECISION MAKING; MEDICOLEGAL ASPECT; NON INSULIN DEPENDENT DIABETES MELLITUS; PATIENT EDUCATION; PHARMACEUTICAL CARE; PRESCRIPTION; PROFIT; PUBLIC HEALTH SERVICE; SELF CARE; SKILL; TOENAIL ONYCHOMYCOSIS;

EID: 33745881754     PISSN: 17411343     EISSN: 17417090     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1057/palgrave.jgm.4940004     Document Type: Article

References (43)

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2. Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (2003) 'Mergers and takeovers within the pharmaceutical industry', available at http://www.rpsgb.org.uk/pdfs/mergers.pdf.
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6. 'OECD Health Data 2003: A comparative analysis of 30 countries'. Figures show that healthcare expenditure in Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries has grown more than one percent faster than their economies in the past decade and that OECD countries spent record amounts on healthcare in 2001. http://www.oecd.org/document/39/ 0,2340,en_2649_34631_2789735_1_1_1_1,00.html.
7. million active European internet users are expected to be online by the end of 2001 - a 54 per cent increase from the 70 million online in 2000. This figure will rise to 255 million by 2004. See eEurope Report (2001) www.emarketer.com, April.
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11. The degree to which additional medicines provide an added therapeutic advantage or can be defined as 'innovative' is a subject of much debate. For example, (2001) 'A look back at 2000. Overabundance and deregulation', Prescrire International, Vol. 10, No. 52, pp. 52-54.
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13. 'Information need' is defined as 'an individual's capacity to benefit from information', see Consumers' Association (2003) 'Patient information: What's the prognosis?', (ref. 12 above).
14. For example, from the website of the European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations (EFPIA - http://www.efpia.org/ 4_pos/pharmareview/ReviewDTCI.pdf): • Informed patient: Possible ways forward (June 2003) • Information to patients: Position paper on the proposed modifications of Directive 2001/83/EC on the Community Code relating to Medicinal Products for Human Use (Article 86 to 100) (June 2002).
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17. National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation (2001) 'Prescription drugs and mass media advertising, 2000', Washington DC.
18. National Institute for Health Care Management Research and Educational Foundation (2002) 'Prescription drug expenditures in 2001: Another year of escalating costs', Washington DC.
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28. BBC online (2001) 'Prescription drug promotion fears', 10th July, available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/1431611.stm.
29. Committee on the Environment, Public Health and Consumer Policy (2002) 'Report on the proposal for a regulation of the European Parliament and of the Council laying down Community procedures for the authorisation and supervision of medicinal products for human and veterinary use and establishing a European Agency for the Evaluation of Medicinal Products (COM(2001) 404 - C5-0591/2001 - 2001/0252(COD))', 7th October.
30. For example, the press statement from the European Commission referring to proposed legislative changes heads the relevant paragraph 'Better information'. It then goes on to say that 'The Commission considered [it] appropriate to abandon the strict prohibition of advertising of prescription-only medicines, since there is a growing interest and knowledge among the public for information on medicinal products.' Available at: http://pharmacos.eudra.org/F2/review/doc/ brief_m01_267_en.pdf.
31. Similarly, Brian Ager of EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) states that, 'In the US and New Zealand, companies are allowed to inform the public about their products through all media, from the internet through to broadcast media, including TV', 'Health on the web', eurohealth, Vol. 6, No. 3, Summer 2000, available at: www.who.dk.
32. Test-Achats (Belgium), OCU (Spain), CCA (Italy), DECO (Portugal), CLCV (France) (1997) 'Leaflets in 5 European countries: Similarities and differences'.
33. Consumers' Association (2000) 'Patient information leaflets: Sick notes?', June.
34. Dutch Health Care Inspectorate (2001) 'Marketing plans for medicinal products available on prescription only: The current situation', available at: http://www.igz.nl/productie/bestanden/ marketingrapport%20in%20engels%20nieuwe%20versie.pdf.
35. Pharmacia was acquired by Pfizer on 15th April, 2003.
36. The advertisements ran during June 2003 and were the subject of an article in the Scottish Sunday Herald on Sunday 15th June, 'Drug firm's obesity 'advert' should be banned, say GPs', by Sarah-Kate Templeton.
37. Sheldon, T. (2002) 'Dutch GPs call for ban on Novartis products', British Medical Journal, Vol. 325, p. 355.
38. Laumann, E., Paik, A. and Rosen, R. (1999) 'Sexual dysfunction in the United States: Prevalence and predictors', Journal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 281, pp. 537-544.
39. Moynihan, R. (2003) 'The making of a disease: Female sexual dysfunction', British Medical Journal, Vol. 326, pp. 45-47.
40. URL: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/panorama/2982797.stm.
41. URL: http://www.paxil.com.
42. 'Pharmacy in the Future: Implementing the NHS Plan - a programme for pharmacy in the National Health Service' states that 'patients will be able to obtain a growing range of medicines over the counter from pharmacies'. Additionally, that, '... the government will continue to encourage makers of medicines to apply for over-the-counter status for their products when it is safe and appropriate to do so', available at: http://www.doh.gov.uk/pharmacyfuture/index.htm.
43. URL: http://www.cabinet-office.gov.uk/regulation/Consultation/Code.htm.