Relationships with the drug industry: Keep at arm's length

doi:10.1136/bmj.b222

Published 3 February 2009, doi:10.1136/bmj.b222
Cite this as: BMJ 2009;338:b222

Analysis

Relationships with the drug industry: Keep at arm’s length

Marcia Angell, senior lecturer in social medicine

¹ Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115

marcia_angell@hms.harvard.edu

The relationship between the drug industry, academia, healthcareprofessionals, and patients has reached an all time low andfew doubt that it is in the interests of all parties to improveit. A recent report from the Royal College of Physicians attemptsto define a path towards achieving a more productive relationship.Here we set out five contrasting views on what the ideal relationshipbetween industry and prescribers and patients should be andwhat steps need to be taken to achieve it (doi:10.1136/bmj.b211,doi:10.1136/bmj.b232, doi:10.1136/bmj.b252, doi:10.1136/bmj.b252)

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

I believe there should be no relationship between the drug industryand either prescribers or patients. Drug companies are investorowned businesses with a responsibility to maximise profits fortheir shareholders. That is quite different from the missionof the medical profession, which is to provide the best carepossible for patients. I start with this simple fact, becauseit is so often obscured by the industry’s public relations.Drug companies are not confused on this score. Their major outputnow consists of "me-too" drugs for mild or ill defined conditionsin essentially healthy people. This is because that market isbig and more easily expanded than the market for innovativedrugs for serious diseases.¹

The purpose of drug companies’ contact with prescribersis nearly always to increase sales, and it usually involvespayments of one form or another. These are often disguised aseducation—for example, sponsored continuing medical education,. . . [Full text of this article]

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This article has been cited by other articles:

Ball, D. R, Kamel, Y., Perkins, V. (2009). Entanglement in Scotland. BMJ 338: b763-b763 [Full text]

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