The Drugging of the Americas

The Drugging of the Americas examines the stark differences in how multinational pharmaceutical companies present their products to physicians in the United States versus Latin America. The study highlights how drug companies provide detailed, rigorous, and well-regulated information to U.S. physicians through FDA-approved sources like the Physicians’ Desk Reference (PDR), ensuring claims about efficacy, contraindications, and side effects are based on scientific evidence. In contrast, the promotional materials in Latin America, where many of these drugs are also marketed, often gloss over warnings, exaggerate benefits, and lack the same level of regulatory oversight. The book compares the drug information provided in several Latin American countries, showing how local publications such as the Diccionario de Especialidades Farmacéuticas and Index Terapéutico Moderno often present biased or incomplete information.

The study underscores the global issue of drug misuse, noting that over-the-counter availability of prescription medications in many Latin American countries contributes to this problem. The discrepancies in drug labeling and promotion are not limited to the developing world but also occur in advanced economies, with similar ethical and clinical concerns in both regions. The book stresses that while it does not critique the competence of physicians in either the U.S. or Latin America, it focuses on the inadequacies of drug information and the influence of pharmaceutical companies on medical practice. By documenting these differences, The Drugging of the Americas calls attention to the broader implications of pharmaceutical marketing on global health practices.

This title is part of UC Press's Voices Revived program, which commemorates University of California Press’s mission to seek out and cultivate the brightest minds and give them voice, reach, and impact. Drawing on a backlist dating to 1893, Voices Revived makes high-quality, peer-reviewed scholarship accessible once again using print-on-demand technology. This title was originally published in 1976.