Health

Physician, Sell Thyself

by Sheldon Rampton — May 14, 2002 - 10:00pm

In exchange for money, some physicians have allowed pharmaceutical sales representatives into their examining rooms to meet with patients, review medical charts and recommend what medicines to prescribe. "And some of those salespeople tried to influence doctors to prescribe drugs for uses that were not approved by the federal Food and Drug Administration," reports the New York Times. A lawsuit brought by Dr. David P.

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New York Times, May 15, 2002

Endorsements for Sale

by Sheldon Rampton — April 22, 2002 - 11:00pm

The Child Health Corporation of America, which "says its mission is to find the best medical supplies for some of the nation's biggest children's hospitals," is "endorsing certain products in return for a percentage of sales and, in some cases, shares or warrants from their manufacturers." Nevertheless, "Manufacturers that receive the seal hold it up as a major independent endorsement."

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New York Times, April 23, 2002

Spirits Crisis Controlled

by Laura Miller — April 1, 2002 - 12:00am

PR Week describes how the Distilled Spirits Council, an alcohol industry trade group, handled a "crisis" when the Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse at Columbia University (CASA) released a study claiming that children consume 25% of alcohol sold in the US. "Such a study could do irreparable harm to the alcohol industry," says PR Week. DSC pored through the raw data used in CASA's study, rerunning the numbers "in hope of finding some miscalculation" and ready to jump if there was a mistake.

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PR Week, April 1, 2002

Ethics Complaint Filed Against PHRMA

by Laura Miller — March 20, 2002 - 12:00am

"The Maryland Citizens' Health Initiative has filed a seven-page complaint on March 18 with the State Ethics Commission about the hardball lobbying tactics employed by the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America and its grassroots firm, Bonner & Assocs.," O'Dwyer's PR Daily reports. "The non-profit group is an advocate of universal healthcare and a backer of a Maryland bill that would lower the cost of prescription drugs for Medicaid patients and the uninsured. PhRMA opposes the bill.

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O'Dwyer's PR Daily, March 20, 2002

Astroturf Used By Drug Companies To Kill Bill

by Laura Miller — March 9, 2002 - 12:00am

The Baltimore Sun reports that Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA) hired Washington-based lobbying firm Bonner & Associates to kill legislation that would lower the cost of prescription drugs for Maryland's Medicaid program and for lower-income residents who have no medical insurance. According to the Sun, Bonner & Associates recruited a small Michigan-based nonprofit group called the Consumer Alliance to front for PhRMA. "By joining with Bonner & Associates, the Consumer Alliance gets money and organizational help to spread its message," the Sun writes.

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Baltimore Sun, March 9, 2002

Lead Paint Leak

by Sheldon Rampton — March 1, 2002 - 12:00am

"Titled 'Rhode Island Positioning,' the memo distributed two weeks ago by public-relations consultant Jody Powell to the dozens of lawyers and consultants representing the nation's lead-paint companies was a straightforward exposition on how to spin public perceptions," writes the Providence Journal.

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Providence Journal, March 1, 2002

Toxic Haste

by Sheldon Rampton — February 25, 2002 - 12:00am

Literally before the dust had cleared at Ground Zero, New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani and the city's news media rushed to assure people that the city's air was safe. Now evidence is accumulating that these reassurances may have been tragically wrong, as investigators find dangerous levels of PCBs, mercury and asbestos thrown into the air by the disaster. "Many people who live or work in lower Manhattan are convinced that they have not been told the truth," reports Alyssa Katz. "They say that they're sick--throats sore, lungs hacking.

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American Prospect, February 25, 2002

Medical Journals Haunted by PR Ghostwriters

by Sheldon Rampton — February 6, 2002 - 11:00pm

"Scientists are accepting large sums of money from drug companies to put their names to articles endorsing new medicines that they have not written - a growing practice that some fear is putting scientific integrity in jeopardy," reports Sarah Bosely, health editor of the Guardian.

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The Guardian (UK), February 7, 2002

From Hard Liquor to Diet Pills

by Sheldon Rampton — December 13, 2001 - 12:00am

Judy Blatman, who helped put cocktail hour on TV for the Distilled Spirits Council of the United States (which represents some of the nation's largest hard-liquor companies), has been hired to represent the Council for Responsible Nutrition, which represents companies that sell diet pills and allegedly "natural" food supplements -- including ephedra, which has been linked to

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O'Dwyer's PR Daily, December 13, 2001

Lobbyist Tells of Graham's War on Health & Safety Regs

by John Stauber — December 4, 2001 - 10:45pm

John D. Graham founded the industry-funded Harvard Center for Risk Analysis that last week issued a whitewash report on mad cow risks in the US. Now Graham has a new government post at the Office of Management and Budget where he is leading the Bush administration's assault on environmental, health and safety regulations. The secret plotting between business lobbyists and Graham has even angered a lobbyist who leaked information to the Washington Post. The documents "provide another glimpse of behind-the-scenes strategy-setting by business lobbyists" such as the U.S.

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Washington Post
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