The European Parliament recently and decisively rejected an experiment whereby drug companies would be allowed to advertise their medicines for three specific conditions - diabetes, asthma and HIV - direct to the consumer.
At present only ‘trade magazines’ like Nursing Times or The Lancet are allowed to carry adverts for specific drugs. Patients’ mags like Positive Nation are only allowed to carry non-specific corporate adverts.
Now, many of you may be thinking that the Euro MPs got it dead right. The global drug economy is distorted enough, and drug companies devote enough time to marketing spin already, without, say, the blare about a flashy new drug drowning out the whisper about an equally effective but unpatented generic. Even some drug reps have told us they wouldn’t like to see HIV drugs advertised on bus shelters, like they are in San Francisco.
We acknowledge the point, but disagree. The info about drugs is out there already. Any interested patient can buy a doctors’ journal, anyone can read Health News in a magazine like this, and most of all anyone can log on to the internet for info about their illness - and its treatment. Medicine is increasingly turning into a collaborative effort between doctor and patient.
An advert may mislead - but in the case of medicine, it may also prompt you to go to your clinic and say: “Hey, doc - how about this?” We just have to hope that the doctor hasn’t been over-impressed with an ad in the British Medical Journal.
But in that case you can read PN and put them straight, can’t you?
Have a healthy Christmas.