The marketing of pharmaceutical agents: friend or foe?

Objective: The aim of this paper is to provide a viewpoint regarding the marketing of pharmaceutical agents to psychiatrists and examine the results of a brief survey of the nature of booths, and gifts they offered, during 2009 RANZCP Congress in Adelaide. Conclusions: The pharmaceutical industry is highly organized and scientifically sophisticated. Efforts to influence our prescribing are likely to have a proven scientific base and to be responsive to evidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]