From Evidence-based Medicine to Marketing-based Medicine: Evidence from Internal Industry Documents : Journal of Bioethical Inquiry

From Evidence-based Medicine to Marketing-based Medicine: Evidence from Internal Industry Documents

Glen I. Spielmans1 and Peter I. Parry2
(1)
Department of Psychology, Metropolitan State University, 1450 Energy Park Drive, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
(2)
Department of Psychiatry, Flinders University, Adelaide, Australia

Abstract

"While much excitement has been generated surrounding evidence-based medicine, internal documents from the pharmaceutical industry suggest that the publicly available evidence base may not accurately represent the underlying data regarding its products.

The industry and its associated medical communication firms state that publications in the medical literature primarily serve marketing interests. Suppression and spinning of negative data and ghostwriting have emerged as tools to help manage medical journal publications to best suit product sales, while disease mongering and market segmentation of physicians are also used to efficiently maximize profits. We propose that while evidence-based medicine is a noble ideal, marketing-based medicine is the current reality. " (full article pdf here).


Keywords Evidence-based medicine - Marketing - Marketing-based medicine - Pharmaceutical industry - Olanzapine - Quetiapine (Seroquel, Zyprexa)

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VIA "Jack Friday" 's comment at Pharmalot blog:"AstraZeneca Pressured Medical Manager over Seroquel".

Read more at Furious Seasons"AstraZeneca Exec Was Pressed To Lie About Seroquel Weight Gain":

"'In the end I was put under quite a significant amount of pressure by the marketeers to sign off claims with regards to the lack of weight gain and I was unwilling to sign that off. The marketeers made it clear it could be career limiting for me," Mr Blenkinsopp added.'"

and at PharmaGossip, "This is a must read!".

Addendum:

VIA Pharmalot blog comment section, HERE:

The authors of the paper chime in as well as the AstraZeneca employee who was pressured by the Seroquel marketing team, in their own words, candidly speaking.

From John Blenkinsopp, former AstraZeneca employee:

" I am the ex-AZ employee who spoke on the recent BBC File on 4 radio programme.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8478924.stm

I was asked at the time to “sign off” promotional claims for Seroquel in the UK which I believed didn’t reflect the totality of the data.

This I refused to do.

I would like to congratulate Drs. Spielmans and Parry on a fine piece of work.

The release of the legal documents pertaining to the US litigation last year was the first opportunity I had to piece together the shenanigans my US and HQ colleagues were up to.

Once again - kudos to Spielmans and Parry for their forensic dissection of this grey literature."

--John Blenkinsopp, former AstraZeneca employee