Doctors as lapdogs to drug firms: Not lapdogs, not pit bulls

doi:10.1136/bmj.39037.700150.3A

BMJ 2006;333:1122 (25 November), doi:10.1136/bmj.39037.700150.3A

Letters

Doctors as lapdogs to drug firms

Not lapdogs, not pit bulls

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

In response to Fugh-Berman,¹ first of all, forethical reasons, let me declare my conflict of interests: Iam a medical marketing consultant for the pharmaceutical industryin Brazil. As an American trained physician, after my returnto my homeland back in the 70s, I could feel the size of ignoranceof the poorly informed Brazilian doctors, who are by no meansmore or less ignorant than doctors from other underdeveloped(or developing, if you wish) countries. Even in well developedcountries the quality and the level of information held by doctorsis variable and "not all doctors are educated equally."

My specialty is the development of continuingmedical education projects for the pharmaceutical companies,which share with me the basic concept of intelligent medicalmarketing: promote the global understanding of the pathologyfirst and then let the doctors know about your products in abalanced and ethical way. But, . . . [Full text of this article]

Augusto Pimazoni, Medical Marketing Consultant

¹ MED MARK—Medical Marketing Consultants, Sao Paulo, Brazil pimazoni@uol.com.br