Unit 8Section 6 Exercise 25Technology/Policy/Hospital Culture Consumerism

Clinical correlate #11 Pharmaceutical companies

Below is a link to a song on 'drug reps' and a satirical essay on drug companies' machinations. Enjoy these selections and answer the study questions that follow. You may also wish to visit the website http://pharmedout.org/

1. Eddie Silver and the Pharma Spies - "Imagine There Are No Drug Reps"

2. "Wonder Drug Inspires Deep, Unwavering Love Of Pharmaceutical Companies"
http://www.theonion.com/content/node/46032

Study Questions

1. Has the relationship of the public with the pharmaceutical industry soured? What factors might have contributed to the distrust?

2. What do you think of the riff on the Beatles' song and the spoof read on the new drug Pharm Amorin as means of resistance to drug company power and influence?

3. The comic essay on 'wonder drugs' can be traced back to Peter Kramer's seminal work on the influence of Prozac on personality. We discussed the issue of 'cosmetic psychopharmacology in Unit 4. In his book Listening to Prozac, Kramer explores the use of an antidpressant to treat people who aren't necessarily mentally ill, but just have anxieties and obsessions that culturally are considered withing the range of normal. The reason Prozac has a cosmetic effect is that, according to Kramer, the drug has the potential to make people instantly happy and functional. Is it appropriate to market a drug that makes normal experiences such as shyness or worry an illness?