Healthcare Advertisement

Commercial Biases

As commercial bodies, pharmaceutical companies concentrate on drugs profitable. First, drugs for chronic are more attractive commercial than for acute illnesses. Severe illnesses, such as cancers, are not entirely neglected, but it does not offer better portfolios. Same as rare illnesses, even they are very serious; however, it is a small market for treatments. For poor countries, pharmaceuticals companies have less interest for the health needs they face.

Commercial bias in research can arise when a participant has a financial interest in the results.

The authors recommend three reasonable steps for medical professional societies to reduce commercial bias in scientific presentations: to require disclosure of financial conflicts, to adopt the policies which are the selection of studies based on their quality rather than outcome, and to seek opportunities to educate about commercial bias (Commercial Support and Bias in Pharmaceutical Research, 2004).

Market Overview

Marketing Pharmaceuticals

Every year there are many new pharmaceutical produces produced. The marketing is the main source to inform the prescribes about the pharmaceuticals innovations. Pharmaceutical marketing has six major forms: sales representation (detailing), direct mail, samples provided to physicians (sampling), medical journal advertising, sponsorship of continuing medical education and public media advertising. (Pharmaceutical economics and policy, 1997) sales representation (detailing): It is important for physicians to get the new products information and answering questions. In the United States, more than 55% of total expenditures were spent on sales representation.

Direct mail: It is usually the form of free journals free copies from drug companies. Approximately 4 to 6% of total expenditures were spent on direct mail.

Samples provided to physicians (sampling): Samples are an important source of drug supply, nearly 9% of total expenditures was spent was spent on sampling. The pharmaceutical company representative provided 70% samples to the doctors and 35% of them depended on these samples a lot.

Medical journal advertising: It is one of the main way for drug promotion because most of doctors subscribe the medical journals so that it is a good opportunity to advertise. Approximately 40-60% of total expenditures were spent on medical journal advertising.

Sponsorship of continuing medical education: One study found that seminars, conferences and lectures organized by pharmaceutical companies had more influence than advertisements, samples, or direct mail (Pharmaceutical economics and policy, 1997).

Public media advertising: the pharmaceutical companies have used the media, such as television, newspapers and magazines to publish new information about new drug research.

Different relationships in the pharmaceutical industryFocusing on health care services, there are four main powers described by Light's(1995): the medical profession , patients, the medico-industrial complex(commercial companies), and the state(government)(Global change and health,2005).

This allows us to identify the different relationships in the pharmaceutical industry. For instance, the medical profession is the main supporter for the pharmaceutical industry. Governments can decide which drugs must be prescribed, which can be sold OTC and whether DTC advertising.

Commercialization and health care. (Dr. nurse, dentists, hospital etc. )The purpose of advertising is to affect doctors' habits about prescription in their favorable ways. A study in Finland found that 64% of physicians consideredInformation provided by pharmaceutical ...