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ISSUE 3 JUNE
Letters to the Editor

Drug promotion

  • Wishvas Rane, Andrew Herxheimer

The Editorial Executive Committee welcomes letters, which should be less than 250 words. Before a decision to publish is made, letters which refer to a published article may be sent to the author for a response. Any letter may be sent to an expert for comment. When letters are published, they are usually accompanied in the same issue by their responses or comments. The Committee screens out discourteous, inaccurate or libellous statements. The letters are sub-edited before publication. Authors are required to declare any conflicts of interest. The Committee's decision on publication is final.

 

Letter to the editor

Editor, – Dr Herxheimer rightly said in his editorial 'The importance of independent drug bulletins' (Aust Prescr 2002;25:3-4) that some over-enthusiastic colleagues talk about their preferred treatment. This is done not out of enthusiasm or devotion, but because of inducements offered by drug companies. There is now an unhealthy practice of drug companies hiring specialists to speak about their new products to select groups of medical practitioners especially invited to hill stations or costly hotels. How do medical associations and medical councils allow such a partisan practice by their members?

Wishvas Rane
Pune
India

Wishvas Rane

Pune, India

Andrew Herxheimer

Emeritus Fellow, UK Cochrane Centre

founding Editor, Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin

past Chairman, International Society of Drug Bulletins