http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/324/7342/867

PDF of this article Email this article to a friend Send a response to this article Electronic responses to this article PubMed citation Related articles in PubMed Download to Citation Manager Search Medline for articles by: Moynihan, R. Alert me when: New articles cite this article

Collections under which this article appears: Sociology Anxiety disorders (including OCD and PTSD) Mood disorders (including depression) Other Ethics Other Public Health Patient - other

BMJ 2002;324:867 ( 13 April )

News

Drug firms hype disease as sales ploy, industry chief claims

Ray Moynihan, Sydney

A senior pharmaceutical company executive says estimates of the prevalence of diseases are often exaggerated.

Using the example of his company's promotion of "social phobia," Fred Nadjarian, managing director of Roche in Australia, said: "The marketing people always beat [hype] these things up. It's just natural enthusiasm."

The candid comments come as the pharmaceutical industry intensifies its push to loosen European regulations on direct-to-consumer promotions involving both "disease awareness campaigns" and straight advertisements for drugs.

In the late 1990s Roche planned to market its antidepressant moclobemide (marketed as Aurorix in Australia and as Manerix in the United Kingdom) for the treatment of social phobia. A media release sponsored by Roche claimed at the time that more than one million Australians suffered a "soul destroying" psychiatric disorder called "social phobia," which could be treated with behavioural therapy and drugs.

In an interview last month Mr Nadjarian said he now feels he was somewhat "taken in" by the estimates that were presented to him of the prevalence of social phobia. "I thought there might be a big market. But when we tried to recruit [for clinical trials] we just weren't able to," he said.

While not disputing the existence of legitimate illness, Mr Nadjarian said the extent of social phobia was much smaller than was initially thought.

He argues that his experience with that one condition highlights a much wider problem: "If you added up all the statistics, we all must have about 20 diseases. A lot of these things are blown out of all proportion," he said.

The comments add weight to fears that pharmaceutical companies may be systematically seeking to portray certain health conditions in ways that maximise their size and seriousnesspartly to help build markets for new products.

Acknowledging the obvious potential for conflicts of interest when drug companies sponsor publicity about diseases, Mr Nadjarian said: "Behind every statistic there is a vested interest." He added that while the vested interests of a company official are clear, other people such as professors who appear independent may also have a vested interest in exaggerating estimates of a disease's prevalenceso as to attract attention to an area of research. "There's a natural human tendency to exaggerate," he said. (See p 886.)

© BMJ 2002
 

PDF of this article Email this article to a friend Send a response to this article Electronic responses to this article PubMed citation Related articles in PubMed Download to Citation Manager Search Medline for articles by: Moynihan, R. Alert me when: New articles cite this article

Collections under which this article appears: Sociology Anxiety disorders (including OCD and PTSD) Mood disorders (including depression) Other Ethics Other Public Health Patient - other

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Social phobics out and about?

David Bradley

bmj.com, 12 Apr 2002 [Full text]

ALL INFORMATION, DATA, AND MATERIAL CONTAINED, PRESENTED, OR PROVIDED HERE IS FOR GENERAL INFORMATION PURPOSES ONLY AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED AS REFLECTING THE KNOWLEDGE OR OPINIONS OF THE PUBLISHER, AND IS NOT TO BE CONSTRUED OR INTENDED AS PROVIDING MEDICAL OR LEGAL ADVICE.  THE DECISION WHETHER OR NOT TO VACCINATE IS AN IMPORTANT AND COMPLEX ISSUE AND SHOULD BE MADE BY YOU, AND YOU ALONE, IN CONSULTATION WITH YOUR HEALTH CARE PROVIDER.