Re: CNN to Reveal When Guests Promote Drugs for Companies ~ Inamed

[Guest guest]

I am curious about this stomach band is this what they use on people who

have the gastric bypass surgery?

----- Original Message -----

From: " ~*Patty*~ " <fdp@...>

< >

Sent: Friday, August 23, 2002 12:02 PM

Subject: CNN to Reveal When Guests Promote Drugs for

Companies ~ Inamed

>

> > Subject: CNN to Reveal When Guests Promote Drugs for Companies ~ Inamed

> > Furtively Hypes Product

> >

> > http://www.nytimes.com/2002/08/23/business/media/23DRUG.html

> >

> > CNN to Reveal When Guests Promote Drugs for Companies

> >

> > By MELODY PETERSEN

> >

> >

> > fter learning that some celebrities who talked on its news programs

> > about their health problems were being paid by drug companies, CNN has

> > issued a new policy and will tell viewers about the stars' financial

> > ties to corporations.

> >

> > CNN will ask celebrities who want to talk about a medical issue

> > whether they are being paid by a company, the network said. If so, the

> > financial tie will be disclosed during the interview, CNN said.

> >

> >

> > Other news programs & #8212; including the " Today " show on NBC, " Good

> > Morning America " on ABC and " The Early Show " on CBS & #8212; say that

> > they have also become more careful after they learned that some

> > Hollywood celebrities they had interviewed, including stars like

> > Bacall and Kathleen , had been paid to help promote drugs

> > or other medical products on their programs.

> >

> > Even a Hollywood agent who has benefited by working to link

> > celebrities with drug companies says some of the practices have gone

> > too far.

> >

> > " The television networks and media people are not letting the public

> > know what the connections are, which I don't think is great

> > journalism, " said Barry M. Greenberg, the president of Celebrity

> > Connection in Los Angeles. " I think we all need to be clearer. "

> >

> > In the last year or so, dozens of movie, television and music stars,

> > as well as sports celebrities, who are paid by drug and medical device

> > companies, have appeared on talk shows and morning news programs to

> > discuss ailments they or people close to them have. They often mention

> > the drugs or other medical products by brand name without disclosing

> > their ties to the company.

> >

> > On Aug. 11, the same day that The New York Times published a report

> > about the practice, CNN broadcast an interview with Ms. , one of

> > the company-paid celebrities, who discussed her battle with rheumatoid

> > arthritis.

> >

> > Ms. is being paid by Amgen and Wyeth, the two companies that

> > sell the drug Enbrel, to talk about her condition. She did not mention

> > the drug by name in the CNN interview.

> >

> > The two drug companies say they are trying to raise awareness about

> > the disease and persuade people to see their doctors.

> >

> > CNN issued its new policy the day after its interview with Ms. .

> >

> > " In light of recent attention involving paid celebrity endorsements,

> > CNN became aware that some celebrities we interviewed about their

> > health problems might be paid, " said Cohn, a CNN spokeswoman.

> > " We decided it was important for our viewers to be aware of that as

> > part of any future interviews or features about a celebrity. "

> >

> > Executives at CBS say they also may have overlooked some celebrities'

> > ties to medical companies.

> >

> > " This is a brand new thing, " said Marcy McGinnis, the senior vice

> > president in charge of news coverage at CBS News.

> >

> > Ms. McGinnis said producers at CBS had not looked into the financial

> > ties of the rock singer Ann of the band Heart, to Inamed, a

> > company that makes a medical device for the obese. A July 18 segment

> > on " The Early Show " featured the musician and her doctor, B.

> > Quebbemann.

> >

> > " The Early Show " ran part of a taped interview with Ms. where

> > she said Inamed's Lap-band, a silicon band that is fastened around the

> > stomach during surgery, was " a beautifully simple idea. " Dr.

> > Quebbemann performed the Lap-band surgery on Ms. in January.

> >

> > Inamed, through Spotlight Health, a firm that specializes in creating

> > celebrity marketing campaigns for medical companies, paid Ms.

> > to promote the Lap-band.

> >

> > Dr. Quebbemann promotes the Lap-band on his Web site and issued a news

> > release on the day he appeared on " The Early Show, " saying he hoped to

> > perform the procedure on " many other patients. "

> >

> > At the time, Ms. McGinnis said, " it would not have occurred to us to

> > even ask " about the singer's ties to Inamed.

> >

> > From now on, she said, CBS will ask celebrities before the interview

> > about their corporate connections and disclose them in the interview.

> >

> > " It is another thing to add to the policy guide, " Ms. McGinnis said.

> >

> > Trigg, a spokesman for Inamed, said the company used Ms.

> > in the campaign because " she wanted to talk about her

> > struggle. " Ms. and Dr. Quebbemann could not be reached for

> > comment.

> >

> > At ABC, Finkel, a spokeswoman for " Good Morning America, " said

> > that more than one producer was now asking the celebrities or the

> > people representing them about any corporate ties before each

> > interview.

> >

> > " We've become much more vigilant, " Ms. Finkel said.

> >

> > One ABC official who spoke on the condition of anonymity said that

> > after Ms. promoted a Web site used by Amgen and Wyeth to market

> > Enbrel during a Feb. 19 interview with Diane Sawyer on " Good Morning

> > America, " producers began giving the show's hosts more information

> > about medications before any interview. In that way, if a celebrity

> > they were interviewing began promoting a product, the host could

> > provide a more balanced point of view for viewers, the official said.

> >

> > In recent months, some drug companies and their advertising agencies

> > have developed new tactics, the executive said.

> >

> > About a month after the interview with Ms. , people representing

> > Peggy Fleming, the Olympic gold medal skater, asked ABC whether she

> > could appear on the show to talk about cholesterol and heart disease.

> >

> > " Our producers asked if this was a drug pitch, " the official said, and

> > were told that it was not.

> >

> > But near the beginning of the interview, Ms. Fleming said, " My doctor

> > has put me on Lipitor and my cholesterol has dropped dramatically. "

> >

> > The show's co-host, Vargas, quickly responded, saying there

> > were " plenty of drugs that you can use besides Lipitor, " including

> > Zocor and Pravachol. But by then Lipitor, which is made by Pfizer, had

> > received an effective marketing plug.

> >

> > Ms. Fleming told the audience she was working with a pharmaceutical

> > company but did not say specifically that it was Pfizer.

> >

> > Pfizer said it had made it clear to ABC that Ms. Fleming was working

> > to promote Lipitor. " It was clearly stated to a producer, " said

> > McGowan, a Pfizer spokeswoman.

> >

> > Lipton, Ms. Fleming's agent, said the skater wanted to tell

> > people how to lower cholesterol because heart disease had killed her

> > father and sister.

> >

> > " It is something that is near and dear to her, " Ms. Lipton said.

> > " Peggy would never endorse a product that she does not take. "

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