Drug industry

Offers a critique of exclusively biomedical approaches to personal and public health. Also looks at the medicalization of personal and social problems, the commodification of health care, and questions of agency, responsibility and control.

Explores the visible and not so visible aspects of health care reforms, using political economy perspectives.

Criticizes the Therapeutic Products Directorate (TPD), the arm of Health Canada in charge of testing and approving new drugs, particularly its dependence on funding from the pharmaceutical industry. Finds that these close ties with the pharmaceutical firms has led to the concealment of scientific or technical information about the safety and efficacy of new drugs.

Examines the practices of the pharmaceutical industry.

Provides discussion on four issues, including: the use of genetic research in the pharmaceutical industry; the corporate concentration in the life industries; the terminator and traitor technologies; and, the threat of genetic biowarfare. Outlines gender-equality concerns and issues for further research and action.

Examines the medicalization of women's reproductive functions, including treating normal health cycles as problems or illnesses.

Argues that if trials done by pharmaceutical companies for licensing purposes had to include adequate data on harms and ineffectiveness the medical community could learn much more quickly what they need to know about new drugs. Contends that the risks of hormone replacement therapy would have been revealed much earlier if better use had been made of existing evidence, and as such, women have been needlessly exposed to an increased risk of heart disease.

Aims to provide the media, policy-makers, non-governmental organizations and other concerned groups with an introduction to the issues surrounding the international agreement on Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) and public health.

Examines problems of pharmaceuticals and their overuse in Germany, defined as the problem of medicalisation. Compares and contrasts effects in some Third World southern countries. Encourages consumer awareness and skepticism.