Pharmaceutical Influence

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Both physicians and consumers/patients rely on the Pharmaceutical industry to adequately provide medication to address public health concerns ranging from depression to obesity, to name a few. Thus, an increased reliance on pharmaceutical industries leads to the creation of one of the largest and most profitable corporations to exist across the world. However, because pharmaceutical companies profit from the drugs they sell, they now have incentives to influence the public in buying the drugs they produce; the main objective of pharmaceutical companies then becomes primarily to maximize profit through the selling of drugs and disregard the well-being of the population (Moynihan and Mintzes 2010, 2). Thus, Pharmaceutical companies work to market …show more content…

Key themes analyzed in the production of the pharmaceutical market and influence include: (i) Media influence and Pharmaceuticals; (ii) Pharmaceutical gifts; (iii) free drug samples + pharmaceutical marketing; (iv) domestication of pharmaceutical consumptions; (v) disease inflation; (vi) celebrity drug endorsements. The paper argues that Pharmaceutical companies are influencing both patients and physicians through the themes listed above, to create patient/consumer dependency on drugs, while subconsciously creating drug prescribing behaviors into physician minds’ in order to make trillions worth of revenues from drug …show more content…

Connor (2009) presents a balanced argument by examining both positives and negatives of the distribution of free sample drugs; However, her research shows the negative consequences outweighing the positive and for this essay the negative consequences will be examined. Connor argues that samples allow “individuals to seek immediate relief, but encourage consumers to seek out brand-name products, thereby creating long-term dependencies on these drugs” (260). Connor’s argument applied to my optometry visits from 2007-current (2017) proves to be true; after each visit, my optometrist provides me with samples of eye-drops, while encouraging me to buy the full-sized bottle after the sample finishes either from his office or the drugstore. From personal experience, every physician/optometrist/dental office I have visited has samples of some drugs. On a similar note, Crestor, a popular cholesterol reducing drug, advertises a 30-day free trial offer, however after thirty days’ patients will develop a subconscious dependence/trust in Crestor (261). By the end of her argument, Connor shows how patients can become attached to sample/trial drugs such as Crestor for example; this ensures that patients will continue using the drugs for indefinite periods of

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