E-DRUG: New Book: Selling Sickness
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The E-drug message, June 20, concerning the American Medical
Association (AMA) moratorium on drug ads, included a statement from
Dr. Bryan Pechous, from a delegation in favor of a ban on drug ads.
Dr Pechous stated that "Patients are asking for things they don't
need"
Ray Moynihan, Australian health writer and investigative journalist
and Alan Cassels, Canadian researcher and writer on drug policy
issues, have just published a book called 'Selling Sickness: How drug
companies turn us all into patients'. The authors explain how the
drug companies are marketing fear of conditions (many of which may be
quite normal) in order to sell their products. They explore the
relationships between company-friendly doctors, patient groups and
the pharmaceutical industry to help widen the definitions of disease.
There seems to be an aim to create an ill for every pill.
'Selling sickness' is published by Allen & Unwin and will be launched globally soon.
Beverley Snell
Centre for International Health
Macfarlane Burnet Institute for Medical Research & Public Health
GPO Box 2284, Melbourne 3001 Australia
http://www.burnet.internationalhealth.edu.au
Telephone 613 9282 2115 / 9282 2275
Fax 61 3 9282 2144 or 9282 2100
Time zone: 10 hours ahead of GMT.
email <bev@burnet.edu.au>
Site: Alfred Medical Research & Education Precinct (AMREP),
85 Commercial Road, Prahran 3181