Selling sickness: the pharmaceutical industry and disease mongering * Commentary: Medicalisation of risk factors

doi:10.1136/bmj.324.7342.886

BMJ 2002;324:886-891 ( 13 April )

Education and debate

Selling sickness: the pharmaceutical industry and disease mongering

Commentary: Medicalisation of risk factors

Selling sickness: the pharmaceutical industry and disease mongering

Ray Moynihan, journalist ^a, Iona Heath, general practitioner ^b, David Henry, professor of clinical pharmacology ^c.

^a Australian Financial Review, GPO Box 506, Sydney, 2201, Australia, ^b Caversham Group Practice, 4 Peckwater Street, London NW5 2UP, ^c School of Medical Practice and Population Health, Faculty of Health, University of Newcastle, NSW 2308, Australia

Correspondence to: R Moynihan ray_128@hotmail.com

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

A lot of money can be made from healthy people who believe they are sick. Pharmaceutical companies sponsor diseases and promotethem to prescribers and consumers. Ray Moynihan, Iona Heath, andDavid Henry give examples of "disease mongering" and suggest howto prevent the growth of this practice

There's a lot of money to be made from telling healthy people they're sick. Some forms of medicalising ordinary life may nowbe better described as disease mongering: widening the boundariesof treatable illness in order to expand markets for those whosell and deliver treatments. ¹ ² Pharmaceutical companiesare actively involved in sponsoring the definition of diseasesand promoting them to both prescribers and consumers. The socialconstruction of illness is being replaced by the corporate constructionofdisease.

Whereas some aspects of medicalisation are the subject of ongoing debate, the mechanics of corporate backed disease mongering,and its impact on public . . . [Full text of this article]

CiteULike

Complore

Connotea

Del.icio.us Add to Digg

Digg

StumbleUpon Add to Technorati

Technorati What's this?

Relevant Articles

Patients and the public deserve big changes in evaluation of drugs: Silvio Garattini and Iain Chalmers
BMJ 2009 338: b1025. [Extract] [Full Text]

Direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs: Barbara Mintzes
BMJ 2008 337: a985. [Extract] [Full Text]

Absolute risk please: Fiona Godlee
BMJ 2008 336: 0. [Extract] [Full Text]

Drugs for pre-osteoporosis: prevention or disease mongering?: Pablo Alonso-Coello, Alberto López García-Franco, Gordon Guyatt, and Ray Moynihan
BMJ 2008 336: 126-129. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Waking up from the DREAM of preventing diabetes with drugs: Victor M Montori, William L Isley, and Gordon H Guyatt
BMJ 2007 334: 882-884. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Female genital mutilation: whose problem, whose solution?: Ronán M Conroy
BMJ 2006 333: 106-107. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Reform of investigation of deaths: Richard Baker and Stephen Cordner
BMJ 2006 333: 107-108. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

How NICE may be outflanked: R E Ferner and Sarah E McDowell
BMJ 2006 332: 1268-1271. [Full Text] [PDF]

The pharmaceutical industry and disease mongering: Richard Tiner, Linda Edwards, Adam Jacobs, Philip Sambrook, Judy Stenmark, Jan Karmali, Matthew Anderson, Alison Karasz, Peter Lurie, Sheila McKechnie, Joanna Moncrieff, Phil Thomas, Ray Moynihan, Iona Heath, and David Henry
BMJ 2002 325: 216. [Extract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Action is needed to stop "disease mongering"
BMJ 2002 324: 0. [Full Text]

Postmodern medicine
BMJ 2002 324: i. [Full Text] [PDF]

This article has been cited by other articles:

Stange, K. C., Ferrer, R. L., Miller, W. L. (2009). Making Sense of Health Care Transformation as Adaptive-Renewal Cycles. Ann Fam Med 7: 484-487 [Full text]
Gervas, J., Mansfield, P. R (2009). Physicians, the industry and population health. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 63: 773-774 [Full text]
WOLFE, F. (2009). Fibromyalgia Wars. The Journal of Rheumatology 36: 671-678 [Full text]
Garattini, S., Chalmers, I. (2009). Patients and the public deserve big changes in evaluation of drugs. BMJ 338: b1025-b1025 [Full text]
Vainionpaa, K. J. (2009). Finnish Commercial Web-Based Information on Male Menopause and Male Hormone Therapy. Current Sociology 57: 291-307 [Abstract]
Mintzes, B. (2008). Direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs. BMJ 337: a985-a985 [Full text]
MacKenzie, R., Chapman, S., Salkeld, G., Holding, S. (2008). Media influence on Herceptin subsidization in Australia: application of the rule of rescue?. JRSM 101: 305-312 [Abstract] [Full text]
Boden, S., Williams, S. J., Seale, C., Lowe, P., Steinberg, D. L. (2008). The Social Construction of Sleep and Work in the British Print News Media. Sociology 42: 541-558 [Abstract]
Maguire, M. (2008). Review: Elizabeth Arveda Kissling: Capitalising on the Curse: The Business of Menstruation. London, Boulder, CO: Lynne Rienner Publishers, 2006, 155pp. $39.95, {pound}25.50, ISBN 1--5882--6310--X (hbk). Feminism Psychology 18: 277-280
Williams, Simon. J., Seale, C., Boden, S., Lowe, P., Steinberg, D. L. (2008). Medicalization and beyond: the social construction of insomnia and snoring in the news. Health (London) 12: 251-268 [Abstract]
Alonso-Coello, P., Garcia-Franco, A. L., Guyatt, G., Moynihan, R. (2008). Drugs for pre-osteoporosis: prevention or disease mongering?. BMJ 336: 126-129 [Full text]
Herndon, M. B., Schwartz, L. M., Woloshin, S., Welch, H. G. (2007). Implications Of Expanding Disease Definitions: The Case Of Osteoporosis. Health Aff (Millwood) 26: 1702-1711 [Abstract] [Full text]
Paccaud, F. (2007). Implausible diseases and public health. Eur J Public Health 17: 410-410 [Full text]
Davies, P (2007). The predictability of research in chronic illness. J. Epidemiol. Community Health 61: 467-467 [Full text]
Khosla, S., Melton, L. J. III (2007). Osteopenia. NEJM 356: 2293-2300 [Full text]
Montori, V. M, Isley, W. L, Guyatt, G. H (2007). Waking up from the DREAM of preventing diabetes with drugs. BMJ 334: 882-884 [Full text]
Hagstrom, B., Mattsson, B., Wimo, A., Gunnarsson, R. K. (2006). More illness and less disease? A 20-year perspective on chronic disease and medication. Scand J Public Health 34: 584-588 [Abstract]
Conroy, R. M (2006). Female genital mutilation: whose problem, whose solution?. BMJ 333: 106-107 [Full text]
Ferner, R E, McDowell, S. E (2006). How NICE may be outflanked.. BMJ 332: 1268-1271 [Full text]
Busfield, J. (2006). Pills, Power, People: Sociological Understandings of the Pharmaceutical Industry. Sociology 40: 297-314 [Abstract]
Khan, M. M. (2006). Murky waters: the pharmaceutical industry and psychiatrists in developing countries. Psychiatr. Bull. 30: 85-88 [Full text]
Gilbody, S, Wilson, P, Watt, I (2005). Benefits and harms of direct to consumer advertising: a systematic review. Qual Saf Health Care 14: 246-250 [Abstract] [Full text]
Brodkey, A. C. (2005). The Role of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Teaching Psychopharmacology: A Growing Problem. Acad. Psychiatry 29: 222-229 [Abstract] [Full text]
Freudenberg, N. (2005). Public Health Advocacy to Change Corporate Practices: Implications for Health Education Practice and Research. Health Educ Behav 32: 298-319 [Abstract]
Moncrieff, J., Hopker, S., Thomas, P. (2005). Psychiatry and the pharmaceutical industry: who pays the piper?: A perspective from the Critical Psychiatry Network. Psychiatr. Bull. 29: 84-85 [Full text]
Moynihan, R. (2005). The marketing of a disease: female sexual dysfunction. BMJ 330: 192-194 [Full text]
Sehmer, J. (2004). Seeking clarification of osteoporosis guidelines. CMAJ 171: 1022-1022 [Full text]
Clase, C. M, Garg, A. X, Kiberd, B. A (2004). Classifying kidney problems: can we avoid framing risks as diseases?. BMJ 329: 912-915 [Full text]
Crawford, R. (2004). Risk Ritual and the Management of Control and Anxiety in Medical Culture. Health (London) 8: 505-528 [Abstract]
VERDOUX, H., BEGAUD, B. (2004). Pharmaco-epidemiology: what do (and don't) we know about utilisation and impact of psychotropic medications in real-life conditions?. Br. J. Psychiatry 185: 93-94 [Full text]
Stafford, R. S., Drieling, R. L., Hersh, A. L. (2004). National Trends in Osteoporosis Visits and Osteoporosis Treatment, 1988-2003. Arch Intern Med 164: 1525-1530 [Abstract] [Full text]
Tan, S., Tillisch, K., Mayer, E. (2004). Functional Somatic Syndromes: Emerging Biomedical Models and Traditional Chinese Medicine. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med 1: 35-40 [Abstract] [Full text]
Bentzen, N. (2004). Family Medicine Research: Implications for Wonca. Ann Fam Med 2: S45-S49 [Abstract] [Full text]
Healy, D. (2004). Shaping the Intimate:: Influences on the Experience of Everyday Nerves. Social Studies of Science 34: 219-245 [Abstract]
Dixon, J., Sindall, C., Banwell, C. (2004). Exploring the intersectoral partnerships guiding Australia's dietary advice. HEALTH PROMOT INT 19: 5-13 [Abstract] [Full text]
Murray, E., Lo, B., Pollack, L., Donelan, K., Lee, K. (2003). Direct-to-Consumer Advertising: Physicians' Views of Its Effects on Quality of Care and the Doctor-Patient Relationship. J Am Board Fam Med 16: 513-524 [Abstract] [Full text]
(2003). Ads and prescription pads. CMAJ 169: 381-381 [Full text]
(2003). Annonces et blocs d'ordonnances. CMAJ 169: 383-383 [Full text]
Getz, L., Sigurdsson, J. A, Hetlevik, I. (2003). Is opportunistic disease prevention in the consultation ethically justifiable?. BMJ 327: 498-500 [Full text]
Heaney, R. P. (2003). Advances in Therapy for Osteoporosis. Clin Med Res 1: 93-99 [Abstract] [Full text]
Moynihan, R. (2003). The making of a disease: female sexual dysfunction. BMJ 326: 45-47 [Full text]
Ferriman, A. (2002). Novartis breached code after doctors say it "invented" a disease. BMJ 325: 1379-1379 [Full text]
Coresh, J., Eknoyan, G., Levey, A. S., Clase, C. M., Garg, A. X., Kiberd, B. A (2002). Estimating the Prevalence of Low Glomerular Filtration Rate Requires Attention to the Creatinine Assay Calibration. J. Am. Soc. Nephrol. 13: 2811-2816 [Full text]
Moynihan, R. (2002). Alosetron: a case study in regulatory capture, or a victory for patients' rights?. BMJ 325: 592-595 [Full text]
Moynihan, R. (2002). Marketing: Celebrity selling---part two. BMJ 325: 286-286 [Full text]
Tiner, R., Edwards, L., Jacobs, A., Sambrook, P., Stenmark, J., Karmali, J., Anderson, M., Karasz, A., Lurie, P., McKechnie, S., Moncrieff, J., Thomas, P., Moynihan, R., Heath, I., Henry, D. (2002). The pharmaceutical industry and disease mongering. BMJ 325: 216-216 [Full text]
Wilson, P., McConnachie, A., Stirling, M., Zermansky, A. G, Raynor, D. K, Petty, D., Freemantle, N. (2002). Evolving general practice consultation in Britain. BMJ 325: 104-104 [Full text]
Moynihan, R., Smith, R. (2002). Too much medicine?. BMJ 324: 859-860 [Full text]

Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

Public health or private profit?: Sheila McKechnie
bmj.com, 12 Apr 2002 [Full text]
The Consumer Society: James M May
bmj.com, 18 Apr 2002 [Full text]
Pharmaceuticals: selling sickness to healthy hypochondriacs: Martin LeatherBarrow
bmj.com, 19 Apr 2002 [Full text]
Prostate cancer: medicalization?: Romaine HERVEY
bmj.com, 20 Apr 2002 [Full text]
Drugs can be good for you: Adam Jacobs
bmj.com, 24 Apr 2002 [Full text]
Selling sickness - it was ever thus: Jan Karmali, et al.
bmj.com, 24 Apr 2002 [Full text]
Psychiatry should reduce commercial sponsorship: Joanna Moncrieff, et al.
bmj.com, 24 Apr 2002 [Full text]
Physicians heal thyselves!: Michael B. Ellner
bmj.com, 25 Apr 2002 [Full text]
Deja vu all over again: Matthew R. Anderson, et al.
bmj.com, 1 May 2002 [Full text]
Novartis's imaginative interpretation of the DECODE study: Robert J Flowerdew, et al.
bmj.com, 10 May 2002 [Full text]
Industry Works to Develop Medicines, Not Diseases: Richard S Tiner, et al.
bmj.com, 17 May 2002 [Full text]
Lost opportunity: Jim N Hardy
bmj.com, 17 May 2002 [Full text]
Osteoporosis is a disease: Philip N Sambrook, et al.
bmj.com, 17 May 2002 [Full text]
Pharmaceutical industry- independence of psychiatrists: Detlef Degner M.D.
bmj.com, 28 Aug 2002 [Full text]
drug mania: dr .manan vasenwala
bmj.com, 29 Sep 2002 [Full text]
NUMBERS GAME.: BM Hegde
bmj.com, 5 Jan 2003 [Full text]