March 15 is observed by Consumers International (CI) each year as World Consumer Rights Day. The theme chosen by Consumers International for this year is Unethical Drug Promotion. On that day, the 220 organizations affiliated to Consumers International in 115 countries gave publicity to the unethical behaviour of the pharmaceutical industry.
Here in Guyana, the Consumer Affairs Division in the Ministry of Tourism Industry and Commerce arranged a symposium at the Sea Breeze Hotel and a television broadcast. Unfortu-nately, the division did not select the Guyana Consumers Association (GCA), the only affiliate of CI in Guyana, to participate in a meaningful way in either event, but chose a group that misleadingly calls itself the Consumer Movement of Guyana to play an active part in both activities.
The Guyana Consumers Association has repeatedly informed consumers that our association does not recognize this group and plays no part in its activities. The ministry knows of our position and we are therefore bewildered that our association, the only member of CI in Guyana, has been bypassed and a group that is not a member of CI takes the prime position.
CI, in advance of this day, briefed its members on the unethical behaviour of pharmaceutical companies. Unethical drug promotion is carried on in various ways:
1. Promoting misleading or false claims about a drug
2. Deliberately suppressing risks and side effects of a drug
3. Providing financing incentives to doctors for prescribing a drug to consumers
4. Using disease awareness campaigns for drug promotion rather than health promotion.
Consumers in Guyana can now watch out for these practices here. For example, Optrex eye lotion should not be used by a consumer three months after the bottle has been first opened. However, this warning is in fine print at the back of the label with other instructions and can easily be missed. In one case the use of Optrex after the three-month period led to an itching of the eyelids. The GCA has asked the Food and Drugs Department to ensure that the warning is clearly visible on the bottle.
In its investigation into drug companies around the world CI compiled the following:
* In Australia and the UK during 2005, 19 of the 20 largest companies (95%) failed at least once to keep within the standards that the industry had written for itself.
* In Brazil, researchers at the Faculdade de Farmada Universidade Federal do Rio
Grande do Sul, Porto Alegre analysed prescription drug advertisements gathered from private clinics and hospitals in southern Brazil. They reported in 1998 that none of the 127 advertisement inserts that were analysed complied with all the criteria specified by Brazilian legislation.
* In Germany, 2004, research showed that 94% of drug advertisements were not
supported by scientific evidence.
In Thailand, 2003, Chulalongkorn University examined 256 advertisements targeting the general public. Of the 256 advertisements 79 were from Big Phama and 38 were for prescription only drugs, despite the fact that such advertising is illegal in Thailand.
* CI’s Africa office in Ghana uncovered a number of controversial marketing practices. For example, Novo Nordisk provides diabetes education posters displayed in doctors’ offices. The posters also promote their insulin products “for a better quality of life.” This is a clear case of consumer education disguised as promotion. This means that alternatives that would be cheaper and just as safe and effective are kept hidden from consumers.
*In Ghana, Roche is heavily promoting the weight-loss drug Xenical in doctors’ magazines. Consumers have access to these magazines in the waiting rooms of doctors’ offices. According to the Roche advertisement “obesity is a big health problem, Xenical is the long-term answer.” This ad pushes an expensive drug to consumers to deal with a ‘lifestyle disease.’ However, many experts agree that changes to diet and exercise routines could offer more cost effective solutions in tackling obesity.
