Essentials of Nutrition for Sports

Product Promotion

Lies of Omission

Studies are usually funded by companies looking to promote

their product. Unfortunately, excellent

or better alternatives are often

not investigated.

For example, glycerol is marketed to athletes to improve

hydration. Simple salt may be as helpful as glycerol—but there is little profit margin for small companies in selling table salt.

Fact Suppression

Companies put their best face forward. They passively, and

sometimes actively and illegally, suppr

ess nonfavorable information.

If you think that cannot happen, consider two recent reports

about the pharmaceutical industry, reproduced below. The regulation and scrutiny of drug manufacturers is much higher than that of sports nutritionals.

1. From

The New York Times

, October 1, 2004.

For Merck, Defense of a Drug Crumbles at a Difficult Time

By BARRY MEIER For years, evidence mounted that the

pain reliever Vioxx might increase the

risk of heart attacks or strokes. For y

ears, its maker, Merck, disputed such

findings.

A week ago Thursday, Merck’s defense started crumbling, with the arrival of

irrefutable evidence from one of the company’s own studies that Vioxx doubled a long-term patient’s chance of

having such problems. And yesterday,

after a frantic week of internal huddles and meetings with regulators, Merck announced that it would withdraw th

e drug from the worldwide market.

In many ways, the short but highly profitable history of Vioxx may prove to

be a story about the triumph of marke

ting over science. Even though worrisome

evidence began to emerge shortly after the drug’s approval five years ago, sales of Vioxx soared to $2.5 billion last year on the strength of one of the biggest direct-to-consumer marketing campaigns yet for a prescription medication. In

the first six months of this year al

one, Merck spent an estimated $45 million

advertising the drug.

“It is a terrifying testimony to the power of marketing,” said Dr. Jerry

Avorn, a divisional director at Br

igham and Women’s Ho

spital in Boston.

2. From

The San Diego Union

, October 5, 2004.

Genentech gets subpoena regarding drug marketing By PENNI CRABTREE Genentech said late yesterday that

it received a subpoena regarding the

marketing of its cancer drug, Rituxan,

which was developed by San Diego’s

former Idec Pharmaceuticals.

The subpoena, from the U.S. Attorney’s

Office for the Eastern District of

Pennsylvania, requested documents relate

d to the promotion of the prescription

drug. A Genentech spokeswoman said th

e company is cooperating with the

investigation, which is

both criminal and civil.

Federal authorities have been looking into the marketing practices of a

number of drug companies. Johnson & J

ohnson faces an investigation by the

U.S. Attorney’s Office in Boston into

the sale and marketing of its epilepsy

drug, Topamax, while J&J, Wyeth and Fo

rest Laboratories

face a federal probe

into the marketing of their top anti-depressant drugs.

Most of the investigations center around drug company marketing tactics to

persuade doctors to favor the drugs over competitors’ drugs, or to prescribe a drug broadly for uses not

outlined on the label.

The Food and Drug Administration gene

rally approves a drug for certain

specific uses, though doctors are free to pr

escribe it for other “off-label” uses.

Active promotional efforts, however,

are supposed to be limited to the

approved uses.

Endorsements

Endorsements or anecdotal testimonials are often used. Athletes,

authors, or coaches may sound authoritative and convincing. Remember, companies are essentially hiring actors when they obtain endorsements.

The ad copy sounds powerful: “There’s a point in the race, when

if I need to, I can shift into a gear that’s not found on any bike.”

23

What does that really mean?

23 Chris Horner, professional cyclist, endorsing PowerBar drink products in a two-page spread in VeloNews,

December 20, 2004.

Nutrition for Sports, Essentials of 142