Disease Mongering in Neurological Disorders

KOCHEN S, CORDOBA M

Revista de Facultad de Ciencias Médicas de la Universidad Nacional de Córdoba

Facultad de Ciencias Médicas - Universidad Nacional de Medicina

Lugar: Cordoba Capital ; Año: 2013 vol. 70 p. 217 - 222

0014-6722

If out of curiosity, the readers take a few seconds to search on the Internet the expression ?diseases mongering?, they will see that "to promote or sell disease" is an enforced definition. They will also find out that the term competes in popularity with many frequently used words, even with popular actors or sportsmen. Besides it will appear a number of ?new diseases" or novel groupings or categories of ?old diseases?. The main and common characteristic of all these "diseases" is that they are amenable to be treated with drugs. The first reason seems to be the advances in scientific knowledge. However, we should incorporate other considerations such as the interest of the pharmaceutical industry in selling their products. Almost 20 years ago, Lynn Payer1 used the term ?disease mongering? for the first time as the strategy of the pharmaceutical industry to expand the boundaries of treatable illness in order to increase the market (Table 1) 2. This concept was recently defined as ?the selling of sickness that widens the boundaries of illness and grows the markets for those who sell and deliver treatments.?3