Yet, for many practitioners they are the only source of information about drugs. Donations should be made to the academic society, and the speaker's expenses should be reimbursed by the professional body, not by the drug company. Grants should be given to professional bodies and institutions and not to individuals. Medical practitioners should be concerned about false advertisements in the lay media for products harmful to the health. The bans on advertisements of alcohol, infant milk substitutes and feeding bottles are examples of this concern.
Drug companies advertise their products in scientific journals as well.
It is very important to ensure that wrong messages are not given, and irrational products are not promoted, through advertisements in scientific journals. The drug industry persuades doctors to prescribe certain brands by giving gifts or providing 'hospitality'. At times, dinner and cocktail meetings have sponsored speakers. The money does not come from the shareholders' pockets. In our country, where 40 per cent of the people live below the poverty line, the gift relationship violates the ethical principles of fidelity and non-malficience.