Disease Mongering

A decade ago, the late journalist Lynn Payer wrote a book titled
Disease Mongering, in which she described the confluence of
interests of doctors, drug companies and media in exaggerating the
severity of illness and the ability of drugs to "cure" them. "Since
disease is such a fluid and political concept, the providers can
essentially create their own demand by broadening the definitions
of diseases in such a way as to include the greatest number of
people, and by spinning out new diseases," she wrote.

Pharma PR practitioners are sometimes quite candid as they discuss
the art of creating a need for a new product. "Once the need has
been established and created, then the product can be introduced to
satisfy that need/desire," states Harry Cook in the "Practical
Guide to Medical Education," published by the UK-based
Pharmaceutical Marketing magazine.

Sometimes patient groups are created out of whole cloth to boost a
new drug that is about to emerge from a drug company's "pipeline."
Most of the time, however, drug companies woo existing non-profit
patient groups. "Partnering with advocacy groups and thought
leaders at major research institutions helps to defuse industry
critics by delivering positive messages about the healthcare
contributions of pharma companies,"explains Teri Cox from Cox
Communication Partners, New Jersey, in a September 2002 commentary
in Pharma Executive.Corporate-sponsored "disease awareness
campaigns" typically urge potential consumers to consult their
doctor for advice on specific medications. This advice works in
tandem with corporate efforts to influence doctors, the final
gatekeepers for prescription drugs.

This article also mentions that in the year 2001, the total profits of the drug industry were in the range of 364 billion dollars. Also that in the year 2000, 13.2 billion dollars was spent on marketing by that same industry. Now let's put this in a little perspective. The estimates of profit in the nutritional supplement industry is around 15 to 18 billion dollars. The point here is not to say that this industry has any more moral integrity than any other. But just in terms of capabilities, there is not much comparison. Read through some of the case studies (which are really the most obvious and recent ones) and consider the amount and scope of influence that is involved here.

More links:

• Top ten medical articles from PLoS.
• Columbia Journalism Review looks at the problem.
• Bill Sardi's article on Disease Mongering and it's implications to the American Health Movement.

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