First Pharmfree Day launched
By Raghav Chawla, BMJ
The first nationwide Pharmfree Day has been launched by The American Medical Student Association on 8 December 2004.
Doctors and students joined together on more than 34 campuses, urging their peers to resist aggressive marketing efforts by pharmaceutical companies. "Prescribing should be based on clinical evidence not on marketing strategies," Brian Palmer, president of the association, told the studentBMJ.
An event was held at New York University with speakers such as Gene Carbona, former regional manager for Merck, and Bob Goodman, founder of No Free Lunch, an organisation of healthcare providers devoted to combating the influence of pharmaceutical promotion on clinical practice.
Dr Carbona said Merck paid doctors up to $20 000 (£10 404; a15 062) for holding a speech designed to promote its drugs. "Just think about how you would feel if your patient asked you, 'Did you put me on Vioxx [rofecoxib] because you speak for Merck?' " he asked the audience.
Dr Goodman said students had the longest "prescribing life" and were key targets for pharmaceutical representatives. He suggested that all medical schools' curriculums should include education on pharmaceutical marketing practices.
Mr Palmer told the studentBMJ that drug companies spend $25bn a year--30% of their total revenues in the United States alone--to advertise their products, which significantly increases drug prices. "We're not against pharmaceutical companies," Kim Becker, the association's spokeswoman, added. "What we're saying is that... [the money] should [instead] go into the research and development."
"So far, no pharmaceutical companies have reacted to these happenings," Mr Palmer said. The studentBMJ repeatedly phoned up Pfizer's headquarters to get their viewpoint. Nobody was available for an official statement, however.
See http://www.amsa.org/prof/activities.cfm for more information.
studentBMJ 2005;13:1-44 January ISSN 0966-6494
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NEWS
First Pharmfree Day launched
Raghav Chawla (January 2005)
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Suresh Panthee
(March 24, 2005)
Read this response
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NEWS
First Pharmfree Day launched
Raghav Chawla (January 2005)
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Suresh Panthee
(March 24, 2005)
B. Pharm final year, Nepal supanthee@gmail.com
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American medical students have taken a nice move by launching Pharmfree day.(1) Medical students are the future prescribers for the pharmaceutical companies. For this reason, pharmaceutical companies spend much for the students from the begining of their medical career.
Drug prescribing is an important part of medical treatment of the ailment. The prescribing behavior of physician depends upon the input from various sources like patients (2), commercial publicity of the companies, professional colleagues, academic literature and government regulations (3). Ineffective use of these inputs can result in a wide variety of prescribing errors.
In Nepal, there is a type of competition between pharmaceutical companies to sponsor different programmes of the medical students at different medical colleges. They organize different parties to promote their sale, help the students to publish their publications through advertisements. In a way or other, the companies try to bring their products in the mind of students. Students also seem to be satisfied with their support.
Now it is time to see the negative impact of those supports. Who is paying for the sponsorship? Ultimately the patients, who come from a lower socioeconomic strata are paying for that in the form of price. For the rich ones, it is not a problem! Medical students need to think of that and should discourage those supports. The expense made in those activities can be spent for other social activities or if the expense is reduced, the cost of medicine can be reduced as well.
It is sure that the activities of students will be affected after they refuse the support from the companies. Students should try to lauch innovative activities and they can also organize different fundraising activities instead of being dependent on the companies. It is a matter of self satisfaction as well.
- Chawla R. First Pharmfree Day Launched; StudentBMJ 2005; 13; 1-44
- Comaroff JA. Bitter pill to swallow: Placebo therapy in general practice. Sociology Review 1976; 24: 79-96
- Avron J, Chen M, Harthy R. Science vs commercial sources of influence on physician prescribing behaviour. American Journal of Medicine 1982; 73: 4-8
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