Australian drug firms hijacking patient groups

Drug Companies Fund Patient Advocacy Groups

"Pharmaceutical companies are pouring millions of dollars into patient advocacy groups and medical organisations to help expand markets for their products. They are also using sponsorships and educational grants to fund disease-awareness campaigns that urge people to see their doctors. Many groups have become largely or totally reliant on pharmaceutical industry money, prompting concerns they are open to pressure from companies pushing their products. An investigation by The Age newspaper has found: An awareness campaign run by the National Asthma Council was spearheaded by a cartoon dragon that was the registered trademark of a drug company used to promote one individual asthma medication. A drug company used a public relations firm to set up an expert medical board to persuade people they needed hepatitis A and B vaccinations. The company was not interested in raising awareness about hepatitis C because it did not sell a vaccine for the disease."

Source: Sydney Morning Herald: Drug firms fund disease awareness