Are We All Becoming Patients - for Profit?

Friday 24 February 2006

A Conference to be held in Newcastle during April will explore a phenomenon becoming more prevalent in recent times – ‘Disease-Mongering’ – the promotion of new disorders or the redefinition of existing disorders in order to generate or expand markets for medical products.

The Inaugural Conference on Disease-Mongering will be hosted by the Newcastle Institute of Public Health and School of Medicine and Public Health (Faculty of Health) at the University of Newcastle. It will be held in the David Maddison Building of the Royal Newcastle Hospital in Newcastle from 11th to 13th April.

Spokesperson for the Conference, physician and clinical pharmacologist, Professor David Henry, says the trend to market and commercialise disease and medical conditions is an issue that needs to be identified and discussed.

“Are we selling sickness?” Professor Henry asks. “Pharmaceutical companies and medical equipment manufacturers have provided many essential medical treatments and diagnostic tests, but are they now busy turning everyone into a patient? When does legitimate promotion of public health become mongering of disease for profit?” he asks.

These and many other questions will be addressed at the Conference which will include an international line-up of leading thinkers in their fields and also a number of prominent Australian speakers. “We will be asking provocative questions,” says Professor Henry.

“The ascendancy of market logic has both expanded and legitimised the commercialisation of medicine. Many marketing strategies appear to be about selling sickness in order to sell drugs. Pharmaceutical companies now ‘brand’ conditions just as they ‘brand’ medicines.

“For instance, do 43% of women have difficulty with sexual relationships that might benefit from drug treatment? Should half of the men over 50 years be treated for erectile dysfunction? Are many shy people really suffering from social anxiety disorder? Are many human emotions like sadness and anger really diagnosable psychiatric disorders that will respond to drugs?

“We are asking if these questions are being addressed properly. These and many other examples of disease-mongering will be discussed at the Conference. Its aims are to develop a common view on the character and magnitude of the problems created by disease-mongering, to develop some position statements and also a research agenda that will lead to collaborative projects. The Conference looks set to be the scene of some lively debate,” he says.

Professor Henry outlines a scenario that will form the basis of an educational exercise. He has created a new ‘disease’ – Motivational Deficiency Disorder (MoDeD), a previously unknown, but surprisingly common condition. Professor Henry says Professor Leth Argos will present data on the prevalence, social impact and treatment of this exhausting new disorder. “Linked with this, a public relations company will demonstrate how a disease is ‘managed’, how it is promoted into the community and will explain all the steps and techniques involved in this process,” he says.

A full list of international presenters, Australian presenters/researchers and conference topics is available on request. Professor Henry is available for interview by telephoning 4921 1286