RT Journal Article
SR Electronic
T1 Regulating pharmaceutical advertising: What will work?
JF Canadian Medical Association Journal
JO CMAJ
FD Canadian Medical Association
SP 359
OP 361
VO 156
IS 3
A1 Shapiro, M. F.
YR 1997
UL http://www.cmaj.ca/content/156/3/359.abstract
AB As Dr. Joel Lexchin makes painfully obvious in this issue (see pages 351 to 356), regulatory processes governing pharmaceutical advertising in Canada and elsewhere are seriously compromised. However, the remedial measures Lexchin proposes are not sufficient. Financial sanctions against improper advertising are likely to be regarded by manufacturers as the cost of doing business, and any regulatory body that includes drug industry representatives or individuals receiving financial support from the drug industry cannot be genuinely independent. Moreover, manufacturers are now using promotional strategies that are particularly difficult to regulate. These include providing drugs at lower than the usual cost to ensure their inclusion in managed-care formularies, and using direct-to-consumer advertising to take advantage of the public's lack of sophistication in interpreting scientific evidence. Our best hope of counteracting the power and influence of the drug industry lies in regulation by government agencies, whose interest is the protection of the public.