This is a poorly regulated area. Pharmaceutical companies are not allowed to advertise medicines, but in this way, they get around it. They hide behind patient organizations, says Minna Johansson, specialist doctor in general medicine and researcher at the University of Gothenburg.
Together with colleagues from the USA, Australia, Denmark, and Ireland, she has reviewed 107 campaigns. The result is published in the scientific journal Jama.
Commercial Interests
She notes that the campaigns can sometimes be valuable for highlighting certain diseases and diagnoses. This may concern ADHD, autism, cancer, cardiovascular diseases, lack of sexual desire, and so on. But a better balance is needed between the pros and cons of different tests and treatments. Often, it is also unclear where the information comes from.
Behind them, normally interest groups stand, but commercial interests, such as pharmaceutical companies, were involved in 73 percent of the campaigns studied. However, it was often not clearly stated.
"Deceptive"
Most campaigns highlight that the disease/problem is common. Symptoms are described, and in most cases, doctor's visits and tests are recommended. About a third encouraged self-diagnosis.
They ask very general questions, like "are you tired sometimes?". They do not distinguish between relative and absolute risks. And self-tests, we know, are deceptive, says Minna Johansson.
The problem is that they often only describe the benefits of tests and treatments, more rarely the drawbacks. An example is testosterone treatment for men. It is not clearly stated that such treatment involves a risk of cardiovascular diseases.
The risk of overdiagnosis is obvious, which can lead to unnecessary treatments.
There should be demands to discuss both the pros and cons of different treatments. And it should be clear if a pharmaceutical company is involved, says Minna Johansson.
The pharmaceutical industry is one of the largest industries in the world. Globally, it turned over approximately 12,997 billion kronor in 2022.
North America is dominant and accounts for 52.3 percent of sales on the global market, while Europe accounts for 22.4 percent.
The Swedish pharmaceutical market turned over 63.3 billion kronor in 2023, an increase of over 10 percent compared to the previous year.
Source: Efpia
