A Pill for Every Ill: Drug Firms Accused Over 'Bogus Disease'

THE drugs industry yesterday dismissed claims it is "disease- mongering" to make money by supplying treatments for non-existent illnesses.

Experts said pharmaceutical companies were boosting profits by redefining normal aspects of life as disease.

But representatives of the pharmaceutical industry denied the claim and said it was doctors who decided what treatments patients should receive.

Writing in the online journal Public Library of Science Medicine, the researchers said firms promoted non-existent ailments and exaggerated mild conditions to boost profits.

David Henry, from Newcastle University in Australia, and journalist Ray Moynihan, highlighted "illnesses" such as restless legs syndrome and female sexual dysfunction, which were made to appear more common than they actually were.

Aspects of ordinary life such as the menopause were also being "medicalised", they said.

"Disease-mongering is the selling of sickness that widens the boundaries of illness and grows the markets for those who sell and deliver treatments," the researchers said.

"It is exemplified by pharmaceutical industry-funded disease awareness campaigns more often designed to sell drugs than to illuminate, inform or educate about the prevention of illness or the maintenance of health."

They called on doctors, patients and support groups to be aware of the "marketing tactics" of the pharmaceutical industry.

Dr Des Spence, a GP in Glasgow, said alleged disease-mongering was eroding the population's sense of wellbeing.

"People who are perfectly well are being made into patients," he said. "It is probably the single most important medical problem that we are facing today."

Dr Spence, a spokesman for No Free Lunch UK - a campaign group which highlights links between the medical profession and the pharmaceutical industry - said people were often prompted to go to their GP after seeing the publicity around an illness or by information they had found on the internet.

Depression was another example where people could be treated with drugs needlessly, Dr Spence said.

"They are turning people into patients when what they think is wrong may just be a part of growing older," he said.

A spokeswoman for the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry in Scotland said: "It is rightly up to doctors to prescribe the right medicines for the right conditions.

"The role of the pharmaceutical industry is to provide information about treatments that are available.

"We do not create disease. Disease is decided by the medical community and defined by World Health Organisation and by the royal colleges in the UK."

The spokeswoman said that Scotland had a low uptake of drugs, with only 14.2 per cent of the health budget spent on medicines - less than many other European countries.

"We would support a greater uptake of innovative medicines," she added.

RESTLESS LEG SYNDROME - a compelling urge to move one's legs due to an unpleasant feeling, particularly at night.

Researchers said the condition was relatively rare in the population. They criticised the media for exaggerating the need for treatment.

IRRITABLE BOWEL SYNDROME - symptoms include cramps, diarrhoea and constipation. There was criticism that it is promoted as a condition needing therapy, when it is usually a mild problem which affects large numbers. The exact causes of irritable bowel syndrome are unknown and probably differ in every case.

SEXUAL DYSFUNCTION - impotence in men and problems in women's libido.

Researchers said popular drugs were not only marketed for treating genuine erectile dysfunction, such as in men with diabetes, but also as a drug "normal" men could use to boost sex lives.

MENOPAUSE - symptoms include hot flushes, night-time sweating and a loss of libido.

The researchers said that the menopause was often "medicalised" and classed as a disorder, when in fact it is just a normal phase of life that all women go through.

CHILDHOOD BEHAVIOUR PROBLEMS - such as hyperactivity and lack of concentration at school. The researchers said that mild problems, such as everyday irritability in children, were portrayed as serious illnesses needing powerful drugs which had a big impact on their lives.

(c) 2006 Scotsman, The. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.

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