From The Outside Looking In

Posted on 28th May 2009

We Have An Image Problem

It's interesting to consider how the Pharmaceutical industry is perceived by the general public. Many people seem to think it manipulated by evil men in white coats, serving corporations that strive to take over the world like Umbrella Corp in Resident Evil. In a Harris Poll conducted in Oct 2007 (note this was a survey in the US), the Pharmaceutical industry's trust rating was only 10th out of 17 places. Tellingly, the public viewed it as the second industry (out of 17) in greatest need of tighter regulation. Perceptions might have changed a little since the banking crisis of 2008, but you get the general idea.

Information And Misinformation

Try asking the average man on the street the following questions:

• What steps are involved in getting a drug approved?
• Why are animals used to test new medicines?
• How long does it take to develop a drug?
• How much does it cost to get a drug onto the market?
• How many drugs do not get onto the market?
• Why do some drugs get withdrawn even after they have been launched?

I doubt that many respondents could answer even one of these questions correctly. This is perhaps no great surprise when we consider how information on medicines filters through to the masses.

Too many headline-grabbing, misinformed sources shape the public's perception of our industry. It starts with the BBC website heralding the arrival of a potential breast cancer treatment (when actually it's walnuts being administered in mice), continues with the sensationalist coverage of a drug withdrawn after causing toxic side effects and ends when a frenzied animal rights activist in a shopping centre thrusts a leaflet into your hand featuring images of a scalped monkey.

Changing Perceptions

It's worth reminding ourselves- and anyone who cares to listen- that the research, development and production of a new medicine is genuinely a noble endeavour. At its pinnacle, it is to extend the precious life of a dying cancer sufferer (in the case of Avastin®) or at least to help a fellow human being improve performance (in the case of Sildenafil).

We have nothing to hide about what we do and should be proud of what we can achieve. If we can communicate what we really do more effectively, then it will be easier for people to accept why new medications cost what they do and understand the real ramifications of a product withdrawal. By connecting with the general public, we will not simply be seen as faceless corporations trying to force pills down people's throats but rather as positive innovators trying to improve life in this wonderfully complex biological world of ours. So how do we go about changing these perceptions?

It's All About You

There are formal industrial bodies (such as ABPI in UK, www.phrma.org in the US) set up to promote the industry, but mostly through political lobbying. PR agencies employed by Big Pharma or cheesy CNN sound bites from CEOs that boast how well their companies are doing fail to convince because their messages are simply not genuine. No, as a first step I suggest the answers lie with the person reading this– you. As a down-to-earth, hard working scientist, you can change people's perception of our industry better than anybody else can. We took up science to experiment, stretch our intellect, discover new ideas and push boundaries. Ultimately, we also help sick people get better. There's no better promoter of what the industry can do than you. So next time you're at a dinner party, wedding, school reunion, family gathering, keep this in mind. If we can engage people in what we do, we'll start to build greater trust in our industry. The general public should know more about how difficult it is to develop their medicines and the efforts, sacrifices and commitments we make to usher them into existence.