Herewith a delightful transcript of a local television program which illustrates the potential problems when pharmaceutical marketing and medical software coincide. Those who don't live in former British Empire countries can just ignore the reference to cricketers and diuretics...
Tim C > Ken Harvey <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote: > > Transcript follows: > > [snip] > > GEORGE NEGUS: Nick Carr, there, with some sound advice - no easy > pill-popping cures. And, of course, it's GPs like Nick who should be > the > first port of call when you're wondering what pill or potion to > swallow, > which is precisely why the giant pharmaceutical companies spend > millions > every day to make sure doctors and specialists know all about their > new > products. But is that ethical? Good question. Well, take a look at > this > segment from the ABC's very funny 'BackBerner' program. > > (FOOTAGE OF 'BACKBERNER') > > LOUISE SIVERSEN, 'BACKBERNER' COHOST: Well, with the growth of > pharmaceutical sales in Australia - 50% ahead of world averages - the > marketing by drug companies to doctors has come under scrutiny. I'm > joined > from our Melbourne studio by Sonia Kelly, Head of Marketing for Kelly > Pharmaceuticals, and Dr Howard Timms from the AMA Ethics Committee. > > Firstly, Dr Timms, have you been the victim of aggressive marketing? > > 'DR HOWARD TIMMS, AMA ETHICS COMMITTEE' IN 'BACKBERNER' CLIP: Oh, I > wouldn't > call it aggressive, Louise. I actually found the stripper quite shy > and > retiring. > > LOUISE SIVERSEN: A stripper? > > 'SONIA KELLY, HEAD OF MARKETING FOR KELLY PHARMACEUTICALS' IN > 'BACKBERNER' > CLIP: We at Kelly Pharmaceuticals feel nothing says > 'anti-hypertensive > drugs' like a blonde in the buff. > > LOUISE SIVERSEN: Well, shouldn't the doctors be more interested in > the > medical aspects of the drugs that you're selling? > > 'SONIA KELLY': Of course. That's why we have an expert go into minute > detail > of our products. I believe Dr Timms was present at our recent > educational > talk on diuretics. > > 'DR HOWARD TIMMS': Yes. Yes, indeed I was. And the bits I heard were > most > informative. > > LOUISE SIVERSEN: The bits you heard? > > 'DR HOWARD TIMMS': Well, my attention did wander a bit when the > lobster > thermidor hit the table. > > 'SONIA KELLY': Nothing says 'diuretic drugs' like lobster thermidor. > > GEORGE NEGUS: Did I hear that 'well-worn' - that's W-A-R-N-E - word > diuretics there? I think I did. > > Dr Ken Harvey is Senior Lecturer in Public Health at Melbourne's La > Trobe > University. Ken's done a lot of work on the way pharmaceutical > companies are > said to manipulate GPs to push their products. > > Ken, good to see you. Um, jokes aside, um...do they manipulate > doctors? Is > it as simple as that, or is aggressive marketing something altogether > different? > > DR KEN HARVEY, SENIOR LECTURER IN PUBLIC HEALTH, LA TROBE UNIVERSITY: > Well, > I think they certainly market very effectively, and there's > absolutely no > doubt that they change and influence doctors' prescribing habits. So > yes, > they do have an impact, and they do use aggressive marketing > techniques. > > GEORGE NEGUS: In a comedic fashion, the word 'bribe' was used. I > mean, how > far removed from a bribe is it? "We do all these lovely things for > you - all > the lavish blandishments, etc. - and in response, you automatically > pick up > our product." It can't be that simple. > > DR KEN HARVEY: One of my masters students has done some nice research > work > in which she tape-recorded consenting drug reps and consenting GPs > and > analysed the content of those interactions. > > GEORGE NEGUS: What did that show? > > DR KEN HARVEY: It showed, as you might imagine, that it was not > unbiased > scientific information dispassionately looking at the side effects > and the > benefits. Basically, as in all promotion, the benefits were promoted, > the > side effects and the downside was underplayed, and also something > like > 20%-30% of the consultation was due to handing over gifts, gimmicks, > invitations to restaurants. > > GEORGE NEGUS: And lobster thermidor. > > DR KEN HARVEY: Well, invitations to restaurants. > > GEORGE NEGUS: We could call it the lobster thermidor factor. What > about the > electronic age? Has that had an impact? I understand you've done some > work > on this. > > DR KEN HARVEY: It's interesting that the market leader out there, in > terms > of prescribing software that's on most GPs' desktops, is software > that's > heavily subsidised by the pharmaceutical industry. It's the market > leader > because it costs no money. It costs no money to GPs because the > friendly > pharmaceutical industry subsidises it. > > GEORGE NEGUS: They get a computer CD-ROM. What do they get in return? > What > do they get on their computer? > > DR KEN HARVEY: Yeah, they get some... > > GEORGE NEGUS: We've loaded it so the folk at home can see. > > (FOOTAGE OF MEDICAL SOFTWARE) > > DR KEN HARVEY: Yeah, they get some useful software that makes it easy > to > prescribe, and it does some useful things like checking drug-drug > interactions. But the other thing that it comes with is > advertisements, > George. It is stuffed full of pharmaceutical advertisements. And > advertisements for the latest and the most expensive drugs flash in > the eyes > of the doctor at the time they're prescribing. The problem with > pharmaceutical advertisements is that they only promote the latest > and most > expensive drugs. They do not promote what are often more > cost-effective > generic drugs. They never promote non-drug alternatives. So that > essentially > if you're overloading the doctor's information channels with the > pharmaceutical industry message, then you're much more likely to end > up > believing that there is a drug for every ill - there's a pill for > every ill > - and what's more, it's the latest and most expensive one. > > GEORGE NEGUS: So what can we do...if what you're saying is correct, > what can > we do to curb the excesses of this aggressive marketing? > > DR KEN HARVEY: I would argue that the Government has been remiss, in > they > have a policy that promotes independent information, but they've made > no > attempt to ensure that this gets into the electronic desktop of the > doctors, > which is where the action currently is. > > GEORGE NEGUS: Thanks, Ken. And over to the Minister for Health. > > From: > > ---------------------------------------------------------- > http://www.abc.net.au/dimensions/dimensions_health/Transcripts/s80362 > 8.htm)
