Consumer Groups

 

Drug giants spend about 15-25% of their budget on marketing, so it should come as no surprise that they spend $25 million per year on consumer advocacy groups (Age 13/12). In total, they spend about $1 billion per year in Australia on marketing and most of that is spent on doctors like myself, trying to get us to prescribe their product, with inducements ranging from free trips overseas to trinkets for our kids. Many doctors claim they are not influenced by the many inducements. They have their heads in the sand. Advertising is not about helping rational decision making. It is much more subtle. To suggest that the best money making industry in the world would waste all that money knowing it doesn’t work is ridiculous.

Consumer groups need money, medical research needs money, doctors like not to have to pay too much to go to conferences, and this huge shareholder based industry is more than happy to oblige, knowing it will increase profits.

The only alternative to `dancing with the devil’ and going to hell, is for the Government to increase its funding of consumer groups, medical research, and medical education. That would be an investment which would save money and lead to better health.

 

Dr Tim Woodruff

President

Doctors Reform Society

 Published in The Age 15 December 2003