| Drug companies are no longer just creating drugs for legitimate diseases, but are now helping to create new disorders and dysfunctions in order to market drugs to people who were previously considered healthy, says drug researcher Alan Cassels.
Cassels, a University of Victoria professor, has recently written a book, co-authored by journalist Ray Moynihan, called Selling Sickness: How the World’s Biggest Pharmaceutical Companies Are Turning Us All into Patients. Cassels will speak at the Friends of Medicare annual general meeting on September 28 at 7 p.m. at the South Calgary Community Hall (3130 16th St. S.W.).
In his book Cassels cites social anxiety disorder and pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder as recent examples of new disorders that have allowed drug companies to market drugs to a whole new group of patients. Cassels says that people who were previously just considered shy can now be prescribed the drug Paxil for social anxiety disorder and women who have normal pre-menstrual syndrome (PMS) can now be prescribed anti-depressants such as Prozac in order to treat pre-menstrual dysphoric disorder, that is essentially severe PMS that causes major psychological problems.
Too many kids have also been labelled as having Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and are now taking drugs that can have major side effects says Cassels. Health Canada recently issued a warning about ADD drugs potentially causing agitation and hallucinations. This spring Health Canada said the drugs can cause risks to the heart.
Cassels argues that pharmaceutical companies also have too much influence over drug regulators such as Health Canada and over doctors.
He points out that pharmaceutical companies pay fees to Health Canada in order to have their drugs assessed.
"The problem is, if the drug companies start paying to have their drugs approved then the bureaucrats working at Health Canada start thinking their client is the company and their job is to approve their drugs so there could be shortcuts on safety," he says.
Cassels says that when Health Canada has to issue warnings about drugs it involves "months of negotiations with the company about how it would be worded.
"Instead of issuing a warning right away they spend a lot of time negotiating with the companies. So, whose side are they on? (Are they) representing the interests of Canadians or maintaining market share for pharmaceutical companies?" he asks.
As for doctors, pharmaceutical companies employ drug reps whose job is to woo doctors into prescribing the company’s drugs. Pharmaceutical companies also sponsor medical conferences and put on presentations for doctors at these.
"The incentive isn’t to maximize safe use of those drugs, but to get as many prescriptions written as possible. It works against the best interests of the patient," he says.
Cassels says it’s up to patients to become educated and make sure they really require the drugs they’re being prescribed.
"At the end of the day the person who puts the pill in their mouth has to be the most knowledgeable person about what are the possible benefits, harms and what are the alternatives," says Cassels. |
Copyright ©2006 FFWD. All rights reserved.