Ethics. Drug Companies.

Vinegar. Water.

From The Weekly Spin at PR Watch

Bend.

The standard treatment for sepsis, an infection of the blood, costs $50 per day, but Eli Lilly has a new drug out called Xigris, which may not be any better than older treatments but costs $6,800 per treatment. That's not exactly an easy sell, but Lilly has hired a PR firm to launch a campaign called "The Ethics, the Urgency and the Potential," whose premise is that it is "unethical not to use the drug." "To reinforce the point," writes Carl Elliott, "Lilly has funded a $1.8 million project called the 'Values, Ethics & Rationing in Critical Care Task Force,' in which bioethicists and physicians from various American medical schools will examine the ethics of rationing certain drugs and services. It is a brilliant strategy. There is no better way to enlist bioethicists in the cause of consumer capitalism than to convince them they are working for social justice.

Over.

"Pharmaceutical companies are pouring millions of dollars into patient advocacy groups and medical organisations to help expand markets for their products. They are also using sponsorships and educational grants to fund disease-awareness campaigns that urge people to see their doctors. Many groups have become largely or totally reliant on pharmaceutical industry money, prompting concerns they are open to pressure from companies pushing their products.

....but hey, do what you want....you will anyway.