Should Drug Manufacturers run help websites for psoriasis?

[Fred]

There are a lot of Psoriasis advice websites on the internet today. Some good, some bad, and some just want to rip you off for your money. But what do you think about the help and information websites that are run by the drug manufacturers? 

I’m not talking about their own sites which tell you about the company and the drugs they make, they are an important part of internet information and are needed.
I’m talking about websites that offer information and advice that give the impression of being independent, but when you look closely at them and dig a little deeper you find they are owned by drug manufacturers.

I’m not saying the information is wrong; In fact a lot of it is good. But would the manufacturer of say Humira recommend you use Dovonex on that information website?
Take for example the biological treatments. This is a huge market and Abbot, Amgen-Pfizer, Janssen , Johnson & Johnson, and Merck & Co are all in competition to promote their product as the best. 

I use Stelara which is manufactured by Janssen, and today I found out that psoriasis360 and livingwellwithpsoriasis are owned and run by Janssen!
I dug a little deeper and found the following

A Janssen Canada educational campaign around psoriasis goes a step further, offering a list of available treatments, and a dermatology locator that returns only those dermatologists who “agree that they will use biologics” – Janssen markets Stelara, an immunomodulating biologic – and who have voluntarily signed up to be listed on Janssen’s Living Well With Psoriasis website, according to Spilios Asimakopoulos, director of marketing technology, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Canada.

These types of website by nature have to be biased in my opinion. Psoriasis Club however is not biased in any way as it’s the people using the products that give an opinion of what works and what doesn’t! So if you’re reading this as a guest come on in and share your opinion with the world via an independent source.

P.C Statement: My thoughts on Stelara and how good it is on other threads are in no way intended to make you go and use said product.

[Caroline]

I think you are right. (this time ;-) )

I think all drug manufacturers are biased. That is quite obvious, it is there business, their income.
We may hope that they are honest enough to invest in research to really produce drugs that help us with as little problems as possible.

You may expect a better behaviour of e.g. a patients groups. But they also may be biased, only their objectives are different, they go for the best of the patient, their income does not rely on the productions of drugs, they are idealistic.

And than you have forums like this, with all kinds of people with different opinions and different results. We can discuss, we can learn from each other, and we can be stubborn if we want to.
It's all about ourselves and our friends on the forum.

[Hanna]

I think it has good points and bad, like most things in life!

The quote 
dermatologists who “agree that they will use biologics” –  
surely if someone is desperate to give them a try it may help speed things up! But in the same breathe no one company has got what may be best for you!

I wonder if the fact that you may pay for any medical stuff  may push companies into providing a more biased view on there drugs?  
Being under NHS it is difficult to understand what people have to go through if paying for treatments, but with the NHS they will try where possible to hold back on some drugs/treatments.
I've been told they won't start me on biologics until I knew that I would be on them for 5 + years!!


I have used a drug companies website and feel it has been a benefit to me!