Joel Lexchin

"It is common knowledge that drug companies spend a lot on promotion... But even I didn't realize that the figure was as high as we estimate it is."

Joel Lexchin is with the School of Health Policy and Management, York University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada.

In a report entitled The Cost of Pushing Pills: A New Estimate of Pharmaceutical Promotion Expenditures in the United States published in the Public Library of Science Medicine, authors Marc-André Gagnon and Joel Lexchin conclude:

"From this new estimate, it appears that pharmaceutical companies spend almost twice as much on promotion as they do on R&D. These numbers clearly show how promotion predominates over R&D in the pharmaceutical industry, contrary to the industry's claim. While the amount spent on promotion is not in itself a confirmation of Kefauver's depiction of the pharmaceutical industry, it confirms the public image of a marketing-driven industry and provides an important argument to petition in favor of transforming the workings of the industry in the direction of more research and less promotion."

Editor's Note:

The Kefauver referred to in the conclusion is Estes Kefauver, a former Senator who accused the prescription drug industry of predatory pricing and excessive marketing in the 1950's.  He launched a public review of the industry through the Senate's anti-trust and monopoly subcommittee.

Sources:

The Cost of Pushing Pills: A New Estimate of Pharmaceutical Promotion Expenditures in the United States by Marc-André Gagnon and Joel Lexchin (Public Library of Science Medicine)

Drug Companies Spend Nearly Double on Marketing Compared with Research: Study (The Canadian Press)