Pharmaceutical companies "spreading awareness" about diseases in order to sell drugs is nothing new. It's a practice that's been covered extensively, in outlets varying from Mother Jones to CNN. This story from The New York Times charts how Shire, the drug company that makes Vyvanse, an amphetamine originally developed to treat ADHD, orchestrated a media blitz to educate the public about binge-eating disorder. Binge-eating disorder, which is essentially bulimia without the purging, was only recognized by the American Psychiatric Association in 2013, and already companies are clamoring to treat it. Since Vyvanse is an amphetamine, this marketing push is especially controversial. Amphetamines have long been abused by people trying to lose weight and can pose serious risks even beyond addiction, such as heart attack and stroke. What do you think about the way pharmaceutical companies market? Do disease awareness campaigns help sufferers, or cause an unnecessary demand for expensive medicines? Sound off in the comments
Market the Disease, Then the Medicine

Market the Disease, Then the Medicine
August 13, 2016
Related Topics
binge eating disorder marketing pharmaceutical companies Shire Vyvanse Monica Seles Medicine Mother Jones Heart Attack Eating Disorders Amphetamine Bulimia Addiction & Recovery Pharmaceuticals Drug Addiction Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Substance Abuse Psychiatry Cardiology Heart Disease Non Interventional CardiologyRecommended for you
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Posted on 7:00 am PDT August 13 2016 by Rebecca DiLiberto
Photo: Getty Images
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