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The pharmaceutical
industry and the public.


The pharmaceutical industry’s influence within the public sphere does not end with doctors; pharmaceutical companies are also highly active in influencing the general public. Each company’s focus varies internationally and depending on the classification of the drug.

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This influence could create a bias in favour of specific patented drug treatments over other cheaper and even safer alternatives; it could also encourage drug treatment over other perhaps lower risk treatments, with fewer side effects, and could result in bias towards drugs which are more expensive or untested. This can be costly for patients and society; it can be unsafe for those encouraged to take unnecessary risk on drugs which may not have been rigorously tested – as is shown in the discussion on clinical trials – and it creates intense tension between patient groups and the government.

Key points

1 Pharmaceutical companies invest large amounts of money in influencing the general public.

2 This can be done in a number of ways, the most concerning of which in the UK is the sponsoring of patient groups.

3 This can at worst create bias or at best the impression of bias and can limit the independence of the group.

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