E-DRUG: Millions for Viagra, Pennies for the Poor (cont)
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Like Richard Laing, I don't want to take anything away from the drug
companies for their large scale donations of drugs for various
diseases. However, there are a few caveats that must be kept in mind.
First, as others have pointed out, these acts of charity earn the
companies lots of brownie points. They are very good for public
relations purposes and every time the donation is mentioned so is the
name of the company, which as Bjorn Blomberg said is a massive amount of
free publicity. But even if the motives of the companies are not
entirely altruistic the end result is good for public health.
My other caveat is that we also have to look beyond the donation to see
what else the company is, or is not doing, in terms of improving drug use
in the countries where they are making their donations. Things like: out
of all the drugs that the company markets what proportion are on the
country's essential drug list, what kind of promotional practices is the
company engaged in, are the essential drugs that the company markets
priced at a level that makes them affordable, are there essential drugs
that the company produces that it is not marketing. My point, which
others have made, is that drug donations can't be looked at in
isolation.
Joel Lexchin
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Joel Lexchin MD
121 Walmer Rd.
Toronto, Ontario
CANADA M5R 2X8
Phone: +416-964-7186
Fax: +416-923-9515
e mail: joel.lexchin@utoronto.ca
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