CORRESPONDENCE
Advertisements for tranquilizers
Reference
References
To the editor: A recent advertise- 1. FREEDMAN AM, KAPLAN HI: The 1. intercont Med Stat Diag Ther 3: 892, Comprehensive Textbook of Psy1978 ment for a minor tranquillizer from chiatry, 2nd ed, 1975, p 1956 2. GREENBLATT DJ, SHADER RI: Benzofurious. us makes a drug company diazepines (parts 1 and 2). N Engi J The pretty brochure states: Med 291: 1011, 1239; 1974 To the editor: Dr. Hoffman and his It's about the male in her life. And the colleagues strongly criticize the adchildren and the pets and the house- vertisement for our product work and the job and other every day Trauxene® (dipotassium cloraze- Ciguatera poisoning situations that may contribute to her pate), which was recently sent to a To the editor: Dr. R.O. Heimneed for a tranquilizer. number of physicians. becker's editorial on ciguatera poiIt is exactly this kind of sexist With regard to their charge that soning (Can Med Assoc 1 120: tranquillization that gives fuel to the advertisement is sexist, it could 637, 1979) is an interesting acsociety's perceptions that medicine, be interpreted that way. This, of count of an unusual condition. He psychiatry and the pharmaceutical course, was not the intention; rather, suggests that convulsions can be companies are propagating ridicu- the theme of the advertisement was controlled with "paraldehyde and lous stereotypes, and are inac- based on the fact that, in Canada in ether inhalations or curare". This is curately and dangerously advocating 1978, for example, 65% of ben- a rather anachronistic approach to the use of pills for everyday prob- zodiazepine use was by female pa- the treatment of seizures from lems. tients.1 It is well known that demo- any cause; much more acceptable We do not want to be associated graphic factors affect the response management of severe convulsions with Abbott Laboratories, Limited to tranquillizers and even placebos. would be to give phenytoin, phenoor any other pharmaceutical com- Greenblatt and Shader,2 for exam- barbital or thiopental sodium inpany that encourages these stereo- ple, state that age, sex, race, marital travenously when necessary. types, and we will question the status and social past strongly inR.S. MCLACHLAN, MD, FRCP(C] validity of any of the "scientific" fluence the response to these comPostgraduate fellow in neurology literature they send to us. pounds. University Hospital It is not to the credit of the medLondon, Ont. advertisement intent of the ical or pharmaceutical professions wasThe point out the advantages of that each year more than 13% of beingtoable to take Tranxene® once To the editor: The information in the adult population in the United at night, to promote an my article on the management of a day, States are encouraged to accept at anxiolytic effect the next day, with- convulsions was gleaned from the least 145 million prescriptions for out the disadvantageous peaks and recent medical literature on ciguaminor tranquillizers.1 tera poisoning. I agree wholeheartconcentrations troughs in plasma edly with Dr. McLachlan's point. BRIAN F. HOFFMAN, MD, FRCP[C] that result from multiple dosing. ERICA L. JAMES, 0Th, LL B Apparently the advertisement has RAYMOND 0. HEIMBECKER, MD, FRc5(C] K. BEZCHLIBNYK, B 5C PHARM Professor and head LORNA BOWKER, MSW failed to get this message across, HEDI ALl, RN and has even offended Dr. Hoffman Cardiovascular and thoracic surgery University Hospital Clarke Institute of Psychiatry and his colleagues; we regret this. London, Ont. Toronto, Ont. His opinions and those of his colleagues will certainly be given full Contributions to the Correspondence Outflow of Canadian physicians consideration. section are welcomed and if considered To the editor: Milan Korcok has suitable will be published as space PETER NASH, MA, MD, DPH, .MH permits. They should be typewritten again drawn attention to the exodus Director, scientific affairs double-spaced and, except for case of physicians from Canada (Can Limited Abbott Laboratories, reports, should be no longer than 1½ Med Assoc 1 120: 878, 1979). Montreal, PQ manuscript pages. CMA JOURNAL/AUGUST 4, 1979/VOL. 121 267
Advertisements for tranquilizers
Reference
References
To the editor: A recent advertise- 1. FREEDMAN AM, KAPLAN HI: The 1. intercont Med Stat Diag Ther 3: 892, Comprehensive Textbook of Psy1978 ment for a minor tranquillizer from chiatry, 2nd ed, 1975, p 1956 2. GREENBLATT DJ, SHADER RI: Benzofurious. us makes a drug company diazepines (parts 1 and 2). N Engi J The pretty brochure states: Med 291: 1011, 1239; 1974 To the editor: Dr. Hoffman and his It's about the male in her life. And the colleagues strongly criticize the adchildren and the pets and the house- vertisement for our product work and the job and other every day Trauxene® (dipotassium cloraze- Ciguatera poisoning situations that may contribute to her pate), which was recently sent to a To the editor: Dr. R.O. Heimneed for a tranquilizer. number of physicians. becker's editorial on ciguatera poiIt is exactly this kind of sexist With regard to their charge that soning (Can Med Assoc 1 120: tranquillization that gives fuel to the advertisement is sexist, it could 637, 1979) is an interesting acsociety's perceptions that medicine, be interpreted that way. This, of count of an unusual condition. He psychiatry and the pharmaceutical course, was not the intention; rather, suggests that convulsions can be companies are propagating ridicu- the theme of the advertisement was controlled with "paraldehyde and lous stereotypes, and are inac- based on the fact that, in Canada in ether inhalations or curare". This is curately and dangerously advocating 1978, for example, 65% of ben- a rather anachronistic approach to the use of pills for everyday prob- zodiazepine use was by female pa- the treatment of seizures from lems. tients.1 It is well known that demo- any cause; much more acceptable We do not want to be associated graphic factors affect the response management of severe convulsions with Abbott Laboratories, Limited to tranquillizers and even placebos. would be to give phenytoin, phenoor any other pharmaceutical com- Greenblatt and Shader,2 for exam- barbital or thiopental sodium inpany that encourages these stereo- ple, state that age, sex, race, marital travenously when necessary. types, and we will question the status and social past strongly inR.S. MCLACHLAN, MD, FRCP(C] validity of any of the "scientific" fluence the response to these comPostgraduate fellow in neurology literature they send to us. pounds. University Hospital It is not to the credit of the medLondon, Ont. advertisement intent of the ical or pharmaceutical professions wasThe point out the advantages of that each year more than 13% of beingtoable to take Tranxene® once To the editor: The information in the adult population in the United at night, to promote an my article on the management of a day, States are encouraged to accept at anxiolytic effect the next day, with- convulsions was gleaned from the least 145 million prescriptions for out the disadvantageous peaks and recent medical literature on ciguaminor tranquillizers.1 tera poisoning. I agree wholeheartconcentrations troughs in plasma edly with Dr. McLachlan's point. BRIAN F. HOFFMAN, MD, FRCP[C] that result from multiple dosing. ERICA L. JAMES, 0Th, LL B Apparently the advertisement has RAYMOND 0. HEIMBECKER, MD, FRc5(C] K. BEZCHLIBNYK, B 5C PHARM Professor and head LORNA BOWKER, MSW failed to get this message across, HEDI ALl, RN and has even offended Dr. Hoffman Cardiovascular and thoracic surgery University Hospital Clarke Institute of Psychiatry and his colleagues; we regret this. London, Ont. Toronto, Ont. His opinions and those of his colleagues will certainly be given full Contributions to the Correspondence Outflow of Canadian physicians consideration. section are welcomed and if considered To the editor: Milan Korcok has suitable will be published as space PETER NASH, MA, MD, DPH, .MH permits. They should be typewritten again drawn attention to the exodus Director, scientific affairs double-spaced and, except for case of physicians from Canada (Can Limited Abbott Laboratories, reports, should be no longer than 1½ Med Assoc 1 120: 878, 1979). Montreal, PQ manuscript pages. CMA JOURNAL/AUGUST 4, 1979/VOL. 121 267
