This is an advertisement that appeared in many Canadian publications over the last few years. The implication is clear: either measure your cholesterol (and take a pill to lower it ) or you will die. Very scary to the average Canadian. And very deceptive.
If you go to www.makingtheconnection.ca you find that it is a Pfizer funded site. Pfizer makes Lipitor, a statin cholesterol-lowering drug and the biggest selling drug in the world. In 2005 about $US 12 billion was sold.
If one considers the criteria for "screening" at the bottom left almost the entire adult population of the Western world would be eligible. What is the evidence (WOSCOPS, ASCOT-LLA) for the necessity of measuring cholesterol and who are the experts making these recommendations in the US, Canada or the UK. See who has written and reviewed the latest American Heart Association Scientific Statement on Managing Abnormal Blood Lipids. See who supports the Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. See who's making the connection with the Canadian Lipid Nurse Network.
See an example of an article written by a drug company employee, published in a medical journal and associated with the names of prominent lipidologists.
See how easy it can be to take the Cholesterol Pledge of the American Heart Association
How much are drug companies willing to pay doctors to prescribe drugs? Here is our experience.
In spite of recent attempts at self regulation of marketing practices by organizations such as Rx&D in Canada, drug companies will always find a way to pay doctors to encourage prescribing their product. Find out about the latest marketing tool, paying doctors to read drug propaganda disguised as an online survey.
