[e-drug] Bloomberg on PhRMA Issue of Newsweek (cont'd)

[James Love <love@cptech.org>]

E-drug: Bloomberg on PhRMA Issue of Newsweek (cont'd)
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See also: http://home.earthlink.net/~rxpolicy/PhRMAweek/

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Drugmakers' Lobby Sponsors Newsweek Health Issue

Washington, Sept. 17 (Bloomberg) --
Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a lobbyist
for big U.S. drugmakers such as Pfizer Inc. and Bristol-Myers
Squibb & Co., paid for all the advertising in a special issue of
Newsweek magazine that contains only health-related articles.

The special edition was distributed to newsstands Sept. 10. Copies
were also distributed to congressional aides who deal with
health-related legislation, with a letter promoting the issue from
Alan Holmer, president of the trade group.

Newsweek editor-in-chief Richard Smith said advertisers play no
role in the editorial process, and that Newsweek, which is owned
by the Washington Post Co., conceived the idea before going to
advertisers.

``This is our best editorial take on how to live longer and better,''
Smith said. ``It seems to me that if you did a guide for living longer
and living better and didn't mention . . . that drugs play a role, that
would be bizarre.''

Some journalism professors said sponsored issues pose a challenge
for editors to avoid the appearance of advertiser influence.

``It does put a great deal of pressure on the organization presenting
the information,'' said John Miller, a professor at Northwestern
University's Medill School of Journalism.

               Uninterrupted Ads

Johnson & Johnson paid for all the advertising in past issues of
Newsweek, including two issues focused only on children's health.

``After that we thought, we've got this great resource in the health
area,'' Smith said. ``No one has ever assumed they could influence
what we do editorially.''

The drugmakers' group concurred.

``We did not see it until it was produced, printed and given to us,''
said Jackie Cottrell, a spokeswoman for the group, which has never
sponsored an entire issue of a magazine before.

Timed with the special issue, Pharma sponsored a policy conference
on health issues, with speakers from Pfizer Inc. and Johnson &
Johnson. The conference, on Tuesday, was cancelled after terrorist
attacks in New York and Washington.

           Letter to Aides

Holmer, president of the drugmakers' group, wrote in a letter to
health aides on Capitol Hill, ``In this special issue of Newsweek,
sponsored by America's pharmaceutical companies, you can read
about how to use these scientific and medical breakthroughs to
maintain and improve your own health.''

Some congressional aides criticized both the letter and the
magazine.

``There were no rebuttals for anyone who thought negatively about
the influx of new drugs into the market, adverse reactions, and drug
prices,'' said Kate Spaziani, a health legislative aide in Democrat
Marion Berry of Arkansas' office.

LynNell Hancock, a journalism professor at Columbia University and
former Newsweek reporter, contributed to one of the children's
health issues.

``I never heard flickers of corporate interference in the editorial
process, but I was not privy to closed door meetings,'' Hancock
said. Pharma's purchase of the issue's advertising is ``highly
questionable,'' Hancock said.

Articles in the health issue included references to cancer treatments
in development and the use of Botox, a treatment made by Allergan
Inc., for wrinkles.

The article on Botox notes that it's ``only mildly painful,'' and
``wildly popular.'' It doesn't note side effects including paralysis
and nerve damage.

--Kim Dixon in Washington (202) 624-1828 or
kdixon@bloomberg.net


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