The world of the market place

doi:10.1136/bmj.39346.496690.3A

BMJ 2007;335:683-684 (6 October), doi:10.1136/bmj.39346.496690.3A

Letters

Direct to consumer advertising

The world of the market place

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

Magrini and Font discuss direct to consumer advertising,¹ butdrug promotion at an earlier stage may have already influencedthe views of the public and patients.

Current European legislation on drug promotion makes it difficultto define what promotion by a pharmaceutical company beforemarket authorisation entails. Many drug companies employ marketingcompanies to promote new drugs. The recent premature promotionof Herceptin for early breast cancer is viewed as exemplaryby the industry and to be copied.

Releasing early results from high profile trials at major cancerconferences can gain worldwide publicity. When supported bywebsite press releases to inform the stock market, one sidedinformation is freely available in the market place.

The small patient group "Women Fighting for Herceptin" was supportedby a leading marketing company.² The ensuing national mediacampaign pushed politicians into supporting the unlicensed useof Herceptin and hence undermined the UK Medicines Act . . . [Full text of this article]

Jonathan V Howell, consultant in public health

West Midlands Specialised Commissioning Team, Edwin House, Burton on Trent DE14 2WF

jonathan.howell@lycos.com