E-drug: Drug Promotion Database
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There is now an additional component to The Drug Promotion
Database. The Database, a comprehensive compilation of almost
2200 entries about all aspects of drug promotion, is a joint project
of the WHO and Health Action International. In addition to detailed
information about each of the entries, four reviews on different
aspects of promotion are now available on the Database web site
<http://www.drugpromo.info/>:
- What attitudes do people (professional and lay) have to
promotion?
- What impact does pharmaceutical promotion have on attitudes
and knowledge?
- What impact does pharmaceutical promotion have on
behaviour?
- What interventions have been tried to counter promotional
activities, and with what results?
The idea is to allow users of the database to understand the
research that has been done on promotion, the strengths and
weaknesses of that research, and to suggest some directions for
future research.
These reviews summarise the research evidence and therefore
they do not include all of the material contained in the database.
Only entries based on original research, systematic reviews or
meta-analyses are included. Although they are important, other
material in the database (such as commentaries about the effects
of promotion) is not discussed in these reviews.
Besides the reviews themselves there are also sections that
summarise the major conclusions of the reviews and that discuss
topics for future research as well as possible research designs.
The reviews were written by Pauline Norris (University of Otago,
New Zealand) and reviewed and revised by Andrew Herxheimer
(founding editor, Drug & Therapeutics Bulletin) with help from Joel
Lexchin (York University & University of Toronto), Peter Mansfield
(Healthy Skepticism & University of Adelaide), Margaret Ewen
(HAI-Europe) and Hans Hogerzeil (WHO EDM). The reviews will
be periodically updated as the database grows.
Joel Lexchin MD
121 Walmer Rd.
Toronto Ontario
Canada M5R2 2X8
Tel: 416-964-7186
Fax: 416-923-9515
e mail: joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca
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