Last updated: 13 February 2007
Fuelled by profit
Drug companies are moneymaking corporations just like any other; they exist to create a profit.
The overarching aim of corporate drug promotion, therefore, is to increase profits by raising consumer demand for pharmaceutical products.
This approach fuels unethical drug promotion in several ways. The most common violations include:
- Promoting misleading or false claims about a drug.
- Deliberately suppressing risks and side effects of a drug.
- Providing financial incentives to doctors for prescribing a drug to consumers.
- Using disease awareness campaigns for drug promotion rather than health promotion.
These methods can ultimately lead to irrational drug use by consumers, with potentially fatal health risks.
Consumers International believes consumer health must come above corporate profit. That's why we are calling for transparency in disease awareness funding, full disclosure of clinical trial data, and an end to gifts for doctors.
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