Medical Journal Becomes The First In The World To Ban Drug Ads

http://preventdisease.com/news/11/020411_medical_journal_bans_drug_ads.shtml

An Australian medical journal has become one of the first in the world to ban drug company adverts, and it is calling on other journal editors to follow suit.

Emergency Medicine Australasia has taken a stand against pharmaceutical advertising, with Emeritus Editor Professor George Jelinek saying: “doctors need to stop being used as agents of the drug industry.”

In an editorial, Professor Jelinek argues that the marketing of drugs by the pharmaceutical industry is at odds with the mission of medical journals which should be to provide objective data.

“The duty of drug companies is to make profits for their shareholders, which is in conflict with the ethical duty of doctors to provide sound, unbiased advice for their patients”, he says.

More at the link --

“The duty of drug companies is to make profits for their shareholders, which is in conflict with the ethical duty of doctors to provide sound, unbiased advice for their patients”, he says.

Ya think?

A key ingredient of Canada's' public health system was the prohibition of pharmaceutical advertising. Of course, with the advent of cable television, these advertisers flooded our airwaves. And they're very good at it...in a 30 second spot, they will create a need for their product that was never there.
As a result, the most popular pharmaceuticals in Canada were the ones most heavily advertised on the American networks.

Having worked in sales and in the advertising industry, I am fully aware of the power of peoples beliefs. The pharmaceutical industry knows this very well and has the money to exploit the fear of illness, or to take advantage of normal human discomforts.

I'm reminded of a book by Ivan Illich called Medical Nemesis The Expropriation of Health. A look behind the veil.....

http://www.soilandhealth.org/03sov/0303critic/030313illich/Frame.Illich.Ch2.html

edited to add link

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If only that could happen here in the US.

Thanks for the thread, Donnachaidh.:thumbsup: