Promotion of Pharmaceuticals: Issues, Trends, Options

This important book evaluates trends in pharmaceutical advertising and promotion and addresses many of the perplexing questions involved in assessing drug promotion in our society. It examines legal and ethical issues surrounding pharmaceutical promotions and the benefits of pharmaceutical advertising and promotion and discusses the effectiveness of industry self-regulation and the potential for further legislative or regulatory response. Promotion of Pharmaceuticals offers a framework for understanding the informational effects of pharmaceutical promotion programs from a marketing and economic perspective. It also raises questions regarding pharmaceutical information at the macro level, including:

• Is pharmaceutical promotion excessive?
• Are further regulations needed to control the proliferation of misleading messages and to restrict the explicit and implicit persuasive powers of pharmaceutical promotion?
• What are the implications for the public?s health and social welfare of strict interpretation of the laws regarding dissemination of information on pharmaceuticals?Promotion of Pharmaceuticals suggests a cooperative, not adversarial, relationship between the FDA and the pharmaceutical industry to commit our limited health care resources to facilitating the provision of rational pharmaceutical care. It contains vital information for everyone who wants to make better informed decisions in the complex world of pharmaceuticals.Chapters discuss such relevant topics as regulatory issues for pre- and post-approved drugs, ethical considerations in drug advertising, and FDA and FTC concerns. Promotion of Pharmaceuticals answers questions such as Is pharmaceutical promotion interfering with the doctor-patient relationship? Can good business and good medicine go hand-in-hand? Is the cost of promotion increasing prescription drug prices to an unacceptable level? Other topics include an historical perspective on pharmaceutical advertising and viewpoints from the pharmaceutical leadership. This book is designed for individuals involved in advertising and promotion in the pharmaceutical industry, health care practitioners, consumer advocates, regulators and public policy decision-makers, and other persons involved in the delivery and consumption of pharmaceutical care.