An Australian professor has cautioned doctors and other health professionals against featuring in commercial advertisements or advertorials that promote drugs or other health and medical products.

Warwick Anderson, chief executive officer of the National Health and Medical Research Council and previously a senior scientist at Monash University and the Baker Institute, also thinks that health professionals should not participate in commercially driven disease awareness campaigns.

Professor Anderson made the comments in response to a project by the online news service Crikey, which documents extensive ties between commercial marketing campaigns and health professionals. Crikey’s register of influence includes many doctors who have appeared in advertisements and advertorials (www.crikey.com.au/The-Crikey-Register-of-Influence.html).

Professor Anderson said that the relationship between the health professions and commercial interests was “a very hot, …