E-drug: Re: BMJ starts drug advertising on website (contd)
----------------------------------------------------------
I like the answers by Joe Lechin, and I think they are sensible. It is
not the advertisements in themselves which are dangerous. It is the
possible incomplete content, influencing people to behave as they
would not have done if they knew all information.
In other words, I think the solution can be found in more generic
advertisements, which should be screened for completeness and
the possibility of invoking irresponsible behaviour by the readers.
Drug advertisements in general are always made to influence
prescribers (or the public). But I have no objection to
advertisements of e.g. the generic industry for accepted first line
drugs for reasonable prices, or even advertisements of the the
'innovating' industries if they advertise for instance their possibilities
to deliver cheaper to third world countries, or the way research is
performed at their research foundations.
If such screening is in place, I assume I would accept
advertisements on the BMJ site.
Let us also not forget that it will also be consumers looking at
those sites. Unscreened drug advertisements would probably led
them to believe that the drug must be good, because it is on the
site of an excellent priority journal.
Foppe