[e-drug] Med-reps and irrational medicine use in sub-Saharan Africa (2)

["Dr Peter R Mansfield" <peter.mansfield@adelaide.edu.au>]

E-DRUG: Med-reps and irrational medicine use in sub-Saharan Africa (2)
-------------------------------------------------

Olutayo,

Your observation is not limited to your region.

Increasingly around the world people are realising that pharmaceutical
promotion is a major problem that deserves high priority.
 
Many doctors deny that they are adversely influenced however:

Observational studies done in Europe and the USA have also found that drug
reps are a powerful influence on prescribing. 
see: http://www.healthyskepticism.org/harm.php  

At the International Seminar on Drug Promotion in Brasilia 4-7 April 2005 it
was clear that the situation is much the same throughout North and South
America. 

When teaching about drug promotion, if there are community pharmacists in
the audience, I ask them to raise their hands then keep them up if they have
never noticed the local doctors prescribing changing in response to a single
drug rep working in their area. So far 100% of Australian community
pharmacists are aware of the power of drug reps. 

regards,

Peter

Dr Peter R Mansfield
GP
Research Fellow, Department of General Practice, University of Adelaide
peter.mansfield@adelaide.edu.au
NHMRC Public Health Postgraduate Scholarship 250465
On study leave from Healthy Skepticism Inc during 2005 to write PhD thesis
www.healthyskepticism.org Countering misleading drug promotion.
34 Methodist St, Willunga SA 5172 Australia