On Promotional Marketing and Big Pharma
Since motivation has become a marketing tool by the manufacturers directed to the distributors of their goods, many industries has been under scrutiny for their approaches on this “motivation” being provided. Without no doubt, pharmaceutical industry is one of them. Although it seems a little bit ironic for such a noble industry which provides medicines and vaccines that save lives and prevent illnesses to have such a weak reputation, it is a fact that pharma has its own problems with the relationship in between the actors of the business. But we also have to keep in mind that it is a $ 500 billion industry.
It is quite clear that the way the industry promotes its products has changed a lot in the last few decades. As the companies are pushing their ways into the traditional doctor-patient relationship by targeting patients directly through T.V. ads (not allowed in Turkey and many other countries though) and creating brand identities for drugs, the competition between makers is getting fiercer and fiercer everyday. So the companies try to get over this by making doctors name their drugs when answering that typical “Ask your doctor” ad question. As the ads and nation-wide campaigns are the only source of information for the patients in need, they (the patients) don't have lot to do other than to ask about the pill to their “motivated” doctors. And than, the choice between many brands that doctors make is only about what is most suitable for every single patient? Unfortunately, this is not exactly what happens. In such a business full of questions like; “When did we all get so sick?”* and “Why are there so many drugs?”* doctors may tend to make their decisions by taking their own stake into account. Of course there might be some circumstances where it is more than difficult or needless to choose one drug against another. But stil... It looks like a very sophisticated and subjective turning point isn't it? So key to this problem comes down to the patient side.
In my opinion, if the patients are informed about the drugs and their all negative/positive effects right from the beginning of the clinical trials**, with utmost transparency, the accountability problem of the doctors resulting from the promoting campaigns will disappear and the patients will also have some (more) control over their health care issues. No one could stop pharmaceutical companies run their promotional marketing campaigns at doctors or pharmacists but at least we could make these companies be more transparent before public so that both parties got cleared. Dealings with organizations and (social) institutions is also another major topic that needs special attention for transparency by the big pharma companies. So I think transparency is the only way that will make people stop thinking that drug companies are influencing doctors and medical personnel by unethical ways. The way they influence the patients (by ads) is actually another subject of discussion by itself...
*: These questions (and more) have actually been asked by the filmmaker Ronit Ridberg.
**: Clinical Study Search and Information by GSK
