Less than half the claims in ads from top ENT journals are backed by data referenced by the advertiser. The problem is that MDs are swayed by these same ads. A few reputable journals have banned ads, but most have not. Income from journals comes from both subscriptions and from advertisers. Big Pharm knows that for every dollar they spend on an ad they generate from $2-5 in return. Perhaps this is one of the major reasons why it spends twice as much on advertising as it does on research. Only about 1/3 of the ads are supported by referenced data. Of course, ads are designed to attract interest and create sales. The problem is that the primary purpose of drug companies is to generate profits, not particularly to provide service.
