Scientific dialogue and stakeholder interaction
Drug life cycles and public trust in drug development, regulation and marketing of medicines
This thesis describes how public trust can influence medicine development. Drug safety controversies, regulatory flaws, unethical practices, and excessive regulation have seemingly decreased public trust in pharmaceutical companies, regulatory authorities and doctors. As trust is a critical prerequisite for a stable, collaborative and innovative pharmaceutical system, little evidence exists on the role of public trust in medicine development.
In this thesis we studied the dynamics and nature of public trust – and specifically the role of the media and science – in the context of a drug safety controversy. We found that pharmaceutical companies and the medical profession seem to be more active and conscious of the role of trust than regulatory authorities. While media attention might influence public perceptions, patients’ behavior (adherence) seemed to be primarily influenced by the mediating role of the doctor-patient relationship. At a time when the overregulation of medicine development started to reveal its problematic nature, increasing and motivating a culture of trust in the pharmaceutical system could be an important avenue for making cost-inducing and time-consuming regulations redundant.
Results
- Hernandez JF, Mantel-Teeuwisse AK, Van Thiel GJ, Belitser SV, Warmerdam J, De Valk V, et al. A 10-year analysis of the effects of media coverage of regulatory warnings on antidepressant use in The Netherlands and UK. In: PLoS One, 2012; 7(9): e45515. (journal publication)
- Hernandez J, Mantel-Teeuwisse AK, Van Thiel GJ, Belitser SV, Raaijmakers J, Pieters T. Publication trends in newspapers and scientific journals for SSRIs and suicidality: a systematic longitudinal study. In: BMJ Open, 2011; 1(2). (journal publication)