Report: Pharma Companies Mislead With Ads For Psychiatric Medications

A psychologist has gone and established what many of us have long suspected--namely that ads for psych meds are often misleading and are not evidence based. This is according to a study, which I haven't seen, in the Journal of Nervous and Mental Disorders. The author, Glen Spielmans of Metropolitan State University, did speak to Chemistry World however.

"Roughly half of the adverts featured citations to primary research papers to support their claims. Yet when the team checked, they found that over a third (35 per cent) of the claims were not supported by their cited sources.

"'The sources are provided by the companies themselves, so it's pretty easy to cherry pick one study that backs up their claim,' Spielmans told Chemistry World. 'Despite that, many of the cited sources did not support the advertising claims.'"

"Examples include Shire's adverts for manic depression drug Equetro (carbamazepine). Shire sold the drug to Validus Pharmaceuticals in September 2007, but an ad by Shire in 2005 claimed Equetro was an effective treatment for both manic and 'mixed' episodes - when patients experience mania and depression at the same time. However, Spielmans' team found that neither of the two references cited in the ads supported the idea that mixed episode patients treated with the drug fare better than those receiving placebo."

I look forward to seeing the whole paper so I can see what else Spielmans found.

"Spielmans says his findings contradict the pharmaceutical industry's contention that drug ads serve to educate doctors about the benefits and risks of drugs. 'Education would typically be based on evidence,' he notes. 'If it's not based on evidence, it's not education.'

"Responding to the findings, Ken Johnson, senior vice-president of the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) trade association, said, 'Federal safeguards are in place to help assure that the advertising and promotional material disseminated by America's pharmaceutical research companies in US publications is accurate and well-substantiated. America's pharmaceutical research companies may only disseminate promotional materials for FDA-approved indications, as noted on the pharmaceutical labelling.'"

It's ironic that Johnson would stress the "America's pharmaceutical research companies" line about now--it's the trade group's new line in the Montel Williams ads--since this study makes it pretty clear that the industry is as much about marketing as it is research. What's next Ken? "America's pharmaceutical education and research companies?"