[Influence of pharmaceutical advertising on the physician. A contribution to ethics in medicine]

Physicians who prescribe medicaments to patients are the preferred target group of sales promotion by pharmaceutical industry. As studies show, pharmaceutical advertising actually exerts some influence on a physician's knowledge and habit of prescribing medicine, to the point of even inducing him to give preference to a special drug. Information on pharmaceuticals given by advertisements may contain some potential of bias, instead of offering the physician a chance of objectives additional training. Free gifts from the pharmaceutical industry may easily plunge a physician into a conflict of interest while giving therapy with drugs. The gift relationship established between him and pharmaceutical enterprises is apt to mutate to some sort of commitment he owes to the givers. Favouring a drug which has come about through he influence of advertising, can thus violate the principles of "good prescribing". For a treatment which contains potential for bias and a conflict of interest cannot possibly match the profession's principles of responsibility, fostering informed choice (autonomy), protecting the patient from harm (nonmaleficence), acting in a patient's best interest (beneficence), and promoting equity in health care (justice). Each physician should therefore be aware of possibly belonging to a preferred target group pharmaceutical sales promotion is aiming at. He should take an independent attitude while acquiring knowledge, and critically view the adequateness of free gifts he is offered. Even students of medicine should be encouraged to critically reflect on the necessary and essential relationship to pharmaceutical industries so that it may be moulded according to the benefit of the patients.