Dr Peter Mansfield

Dr Peter Mansfield
  • Biography/ Background

    Dr Peter R Mansfield OAM BMBS is a Visiting Research Fellow in the Discipline of General Practice and a Medical Officer for the Ngaanyatjarra Health Service. He was the founder of Healthy Skepticism Inc, an international organisation aiming to improve health by reducing harm from misleading drug promotion: www.healthyskepticism.org

    Healthy Skepticism started with the name Medical Lobby for Appropriate Marketing (MaLAM) Peter conceived MaLAM during his final year medical student elective in Bangladesh in 1982. MaLAM produced open letters that were signed by many people around the world and sent to the international headquarters of pharmaceutical companies questioning them about specific advertisements in developing countries. During the late 1990s MaLAM moved towards doing more research and educational work and in 2001 the name was changed to Healthy Skepticism.

    Awards
    2007 Medal of the Order of Australia for "service to medicine, particularly as an advocate for ethical pharmaceutical marketing practices and the quality use of medicines in Australia and in developing countries."

    2003 Centenary Medal for "contributions to Australian society especially through Healthy Skepticism."

    2003 Flinders University Convocation Medal for "outstanding leadership in the advancement of professional practice and service to the community in the safe use of pharmaceutical drugs". The convocation medal is Flinders University's highest award for outstanding graduates.

  • Qualifications

    BMBS (Flind) 1982
  • Research Interests

    Development and evaluation of education about treatment decision making and drug promotion.
  • Publications

    Peer reviewed articles

    1. Spurling GK, Mansfield PR, Montgomery BD, Lexchin J, Doust J, Othman N, Vitry AI. Information from pharmaceutical companies and the quality, quantity, and cost of physicians' prescribing: a systematic review. PLoS Med. 2010 Oct 19;7(10):e1000352.
    www.plosmedicine.org/article/info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.1000352
    2. Carmody D, Mansfield PR. What do medical students think about pharmaceutical promotion? Australian Medical Student Journal. 2010 April; 1(1):54-7.
    www.amsj.org/archives/300
    3. Montgomery BD, Mansfield PR, Spurling GK, Ward AM. Do advertisements for antihypertensive drugs in Australia promote quality prescribing? A cross-sectional study. BMC Public Health. 2008 May 20;8:167.
    http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2458/8/167/abstract
    4. Jureidini JN, McHenry LB, Mansfield PR. Clinical trials and drug promotion: Selective reporting of study 329. Int J Risk Saf Med 2008 May;20(1-2):73-81
    5. Vitry A, Lexchin J, Mansfield PR. Is Australia's National Medicines Policy Failing? The Case of Cox-2 Inhibitors. Int J Health Serv. 2007;37(4):735-744.
    6. Spurling G, Mansfield P. General practitioners and pharmaceutical sales representatives: quality improvement research. Qual Saf Health Care. 2007 Aug;16(4):266-70
    http://qshc.bmj.com/content/16/4/266.abstract
    7. Mansfield PR, Lexchin J, Wen LS, Grandori L, McCoy CP, Hoffman JR, Ramos J, Jureidini JN. Education for Health Professionals about Drug and Device Promotion: Advocates' Recommendations. PLoS Med 2006:3(11): e451
    http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371%2Fjournal.pmed.0030451
    or http://tinyurl.com/tt8jr
    8. Stocks N, Allan J, Mansfield PR. Management of hyperlipidaemia. Aust Fam Physician 2005 Jun;34(6):447-453
    www.racgp.org.au/afp/200506/13261
    9. Mansfield PR. Banning all drug promotion is the best option pending major reforms. J Bioethical Inquiry 2005;2(2):75-81
    10. Allen K, Mansfield P. Changing attitudes to 'the change'. Aust Fam Physician. 2004 Nov;33(11):939-40.
    http://www.racgp.org.au/document.asp?id=15004
    11. Mansfield PR, Henry D, Tonkin A. Single-Enantiomer Drugs: Elegant Science, Disappointing Effects. Clin Pharmacokinet 2004;43(5):287-90.
    http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/adis/cpk/2004/00000043/00000005/art00002
    12. Rogers WA, Mansfield PR, Braunack-Mayer AJ, Jureidini JN. The ethics of pharmaceutical industry relationships with medical students. Med J Aust. 2004 Apr 19;180(8):411-4.
    http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/180_08_190404/rog10715_fm.html
    13. Svensson S and Mansfield PR. Escitalopram: Superior to citalopram or chiral chimera? Psychother Psychosom. 2004;73(1):10-6.
    http://content.karger.com/produktedb/produkte.asp?typ=fulltext&file=PPS2004073001010
    14. Jureidini JN, Doecke CJ, Mansfield PR, Haby MM, Menkes DB, Tonkin AL. Efficacy and safety of antidepressants for children and adolescents. BMJ 2004;328:879-83
    http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/328/7444/879
    15. Mansfield PR. Healthy Skepticism's new AdWatch: Understanding drug promotion. Med J Aust 2003; 179 (11/12): 644-645
    http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/179_11_011203/man10667_fm.html
    16. Vlassov V, Mansfield P, Lexchin J, Vlassova A. Do drug advertisements in Russian medical journals provide essential information for safe prescribing? West J Med. 2001 Jun;174(6):391-4.
    17. Mansfield P. Can health professionals lobby drug companies to upgrade from misleading promotion to reliable service? Australian Prescriber. 1997; 20(Supplement 1):150.
    18. Mansfield PR. MaLAM, a medical lobby for appropriate marketing of pharmaceuticals. Med J Aust 1997; 167: 590-592
    http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/xmas/mansfield/mansfield.html
    19. Mansfield PR. Classifying improvements to drug marketing and justifications for claims of efficacy. Int J of Risk Safety Med. 1991;2:171-184.
    20. Harvey K, Mansfield P. Drug promotion: the critical approach. Australian Prescriber 1991; 14: supp. 1: 34-6.
    21. Wade VA, Mansfield PR, McDonald PJ. Drug companies' evidence to justify advertising. Lancet 1989; 8674: 1261-4.
    22. Mansfield PR. Drug advertising. Lancet 1989; i: 1137.

    Editorials

    1. Mansfield PR. Can pharmaceutical companies contribute to the quality use of medicines? Aust Prescr 2010;33:98-9 http://www.australianprescriber.com/upload/pdf/articles/1115.pdf
    2. Gérvas J, Mansfield PR. Physicians, the industry and population health. J Epidemiol Community Health. 2009 Oct;63(10):773-4.
    3. Mansfield PR. Do advertisements in clinical software influence prescribing? MJA 2008; 188 (1): 13-14.
    http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/188_01_070108/man11083_fm.html
    4. Mansfield PR, Mintzes B, Richards D, Toop L. Direct to consumer advertising - Is at the crossroads of competing pressures from industry and health needs. BMJ. 2005 Jan 1;330(7481):5-6.
    http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/330/7481/5
    5. Mansfield PR, Henry D. Misleading drug promotion-no sign of improvements. Pharmacoepidemiol Drug Saf 2004 Nov;13(11):797-9.
    http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/107632790/ABSTRACT

    Commentaries

    1. Mansfield PR. Peter Mansfield's Viewpoint: There's a Better Way than DTCA. In: Almasi E, Stafford R, Kravitz RL, Mansfield PR. What are the public health effects of direct-to-consumer drug advertising? PLoS Med 2006; 3(3): e145.
    http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0030145
    2. Mansfield P. Accepting what we can learn from advertising's mirror of desire. BMJ. 2004 Dec 18;329(7480):1487-8.
    http://www.pubmedcentral.nih.gov/articlerender.fcgi?tool=pubmed&pubmedid=15604193
    3. Mansfield PR. Bribes for doctors: a gift for bioethicists? Am J Bioethics. 2003; 3(3): 47-8

    Book Chapters

    1. Vitry A, Lexchin J, Mansfield PR. Is Australia's national medicines policy failing? The case of COX-2 inhibitors. In O'Donovan O, Glavanis-Grantham K. Eds. Power, politics and pharmaceuticals: Drug regulation in the global context. Cork: Cork University Press 2008
    2. Jureidini JN, Mansfield PR. The scope of the problem of the relationship between drug companies and doctors. In Maitra B, Timimi S. Eds. Critical Voices in Child and Adolescent Mental Health. London: Free Association Books 2006

    Abstracts

    1. Mansfield PR. Healthy Skepticism. Australasian Journal of Dermatology. 2007 May;48(Suppl 1):A1-A2

    Accepted for publication

    1. Mansfield P. Techniques that influence the use of medicines. In: Mintzes B, Mangin D. eds WHO manual on understanding and responding to drug promotion. WHO [In Press]

    Reports

    1. Norris P, Herxheimer A, Lexchin J, Mansfield P. Drug Promotion: What we know, what we have yet to learn. Geneva: World Health Organisation 2005 http://www.haiweb.org/18012006/drugPromodhai12sept.pdf

    Letters

    1. Braillon A, Bewley S, Herxheimer A, Mansfield P, Lexchin J, Menkes DB, Ziganshina LE, Montastruc JL. Marketing versus evidence-based medicine. Lancet. 2012 Jul 28;380(9839):340. doi: 10.1016/S0140-6736(12)61250-1.
    2. Lexchin J, Bassett K, Biron P, Mansfield P, Mintzes B. Medications for obesity. Can Fam Physician 2008;54 848-849
    3. Mansfield PR. Drug money for patient groups - The illusion of invulnerability. BMJ 2007 May 19;334(7602):1020 www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/334/7602/1020-c
    See also longer version: Rapid response May 6 www.bmj.com/cgi/eletters/334/7600/934
    4. Mansfield PR, Hoffman JR, Lexchin J. Educating Health Professionals about Drug and Device Promotion: Authors' Reply. PLoS Med. 2007 Feb 27;4(2):e88.http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=getdocument&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0040088

    5. Mansfield PR. Doctors as lapdogs to drug firms: Independence may be most cost effective way to improve health care. BMJ. 2006 Nov 25;333(7578):1121-1122.
    http://www.bmj.com/cgi/content/full/333/7578/1121-c
    6. Mansfield P. Industry-Sponsored Research: A More Comprehensive Alternative. PLoS Med 2006;3(10): e463
    http://medicine.plosjournals.org/perlserv/?request=get-document&doi=10.1371/journal.pmed.0030463
    7. Mansfield PR. Another way to tame the monster. BMJ 2006 Jul 22;333:202
    http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/333/7560/202-a
    8. Mansfield PR, Phadke A, Kale A. Blanket hepatitis B vaccination is questionable in India. BMJ 2006 April 22;332:976
    http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/332/7547/976
    9. Mansfield PR, Raven MK, Jureidini JN. Depressed youth, suicidality and antidepressants. Med J Aust. 2005 Sep 5;183(5):275
    http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/183_05_050905/letters_050905_fm-1.html
    10. Mansfield PR, Vitry A. Rofecoxib withdrawal. Australian Prescriber 2005 April; 28(2): 30
    http://www.australianprescriber.com/magazine/28/2/
    11. Mansfield PR, Vitry AI, Wright JM. Withdraw all COX-2-selective drugs Med J Aust 2005; 182 (4):197.
    http://www.mja.com.au/public/issues/182_04_210205/matters_arising_210205_fm-1.html
    12. Jureidini J, Tonkin A, Mansfield PR. TADS study raises concerns. BMJ. 2004 Dec 4;329:1343-4.
    http://bmj.bmjjournals.com/cgi/content/full/329/7478/1343-d
    13. Mansfield PR, Mintzes B. Direct-to-consumer advertising is more profitable if it is misleading. N Z Med J. 2003 Sep 26;116(1182):U610.
    http://www.nzma.org.nz/journal/116-1182/610/
    14. Katz D, Mansfield P, Goodman R, Tiefer L, Merz J. Psychological aspects of gifts from drug companies. JAMA. 2003 Nov 12;290(18):2404-5
    http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/full/290/18/2404-b
    15. Jureidini J, Mansfield P, Menkes D. The stain wars. Lancet. 2003 Nov 29;362(9398):1855
    16. Jureidini J, Mansfield P. The journal and drug advertising. Aust N Z J Psychiatry. 2003 Aug;37(4):495
    17. Sorokin M, Mansfield PR. Revealing all. Lancet Infect Dis. 2003 May;3(5):270-1.
    18. Mansfield PR, Lexchin J, Vitry A, Doecke CJ and Svensson, S. Drug advertising in medical journals. Lancet 2003 Mar 8; 361(9360)879.
    19. Mansfield PR, Carter HA. Healthy scepticism. Aust Fam Phys 2003;32(10):777
    20. Irwig LM, Loy CT, Chapman S, Glasziou PP, Mansfield PR, Salkeld GP, Walton MM. !nform test kits distributed with the MJA. Med J Aust. 2000 May 15;172(10):518-9.
    21. Vitry A, Mansfield P. Drug advertisements in medical journals. Lancet 1997; 350: 1477
    22. Vitry A, Mansfield P. Promotion of Coversyl by Servier. Lancet 1996; 347: 1411
    23. Mansfield P, Mashford ML. Use of amoxycillin trihydrate/potassium clavulanate. Australian Prescriber 1994; 17: 3: 55.
    24. Mansfield PR. Pharmaceutical promotion. Australian Prescriber 1993; 16: 4: 89.
    25. Mansfield P. Diflunisal advertising. MJA 1988;148(8):418
    26. Mansfield PR. Drug advertising. MJA 1987;146(12):660-661
    27. Mansfield P. Phenylbutazone. MJA 1985;143(5):219-220

    News reports

    1. Mansfield P. Pharma pays the piper: Will Roche call Kidney Health Australia's tune. Crikey.com 2007 Aug 28; 4
    2. Mansfield P. Big Pharma, government and the price of drugs. The Adelaide Review 2007 Jul 6-19; 14
    3. Mansfield PR. Banned drug's world of faceless victims. The Independent Weekly (Adelaide) 2004 Oct 10-16
    4. Anonymous. International Medical Advertising. Lancet 1988; i: 350.
    5. Anonymous. International Drug Marketing Code. Lancet 1988; i: 988.
    6. Anonymous. MLAM. Lancet 1984; ii: 861.

    Submissions

    1. Mansfield PR, Joel Lexchin J, an anonymous source from the pharmaceutical industry, Raven M, Jureidini J, Faggotter R, Burn R. Submission to Medicines Australia Review of the Code of Conduct 2005 This submission was copied to the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission review of the code in 2006.
    2. Mansfield PR, Rogers W, Jureidini J. Submission to the RACP Review of their Ethical Guidelines. 2005
    3. Mansfield PR. Submission to the UK House of Commons Health Committee Inquiry into the influence of the pharmaceutical industry. 2004

    Other publications

    1. Mansfield PR. Under the influence. ABC Unleashed 2009 May 25 http://www.abc.net.au/unleashed/stories/s2579404.htm
    2. Over 100 Healthy Skepticism International News issues (formerly MaLAM News and MaLAM letters) between 1983 and 2000.
    3. Dinant G-J, Mansfield P. Van zoete koek naar gezonde scepsis: De houding van huisartsen tegenover geneesmiddelenreclame. Huisarts Wet 2005 May 2;48(6):304-307
    4. Mansfield P. Pushing expensive new drugs. Consuming Interest 2001 86 Summer 27-29
    5. Jureidini J, Mansfield P. Does drug promotion adversely influence doctors' abilities to make the best decisions for patients? Australasian Psychiatry 2001;9:2:95-99
    www.blackwell-synergy.com/doi/abs/10.1046/j.1440-1665.2001.00313.x;jsessionid=gVNlpuTQSfmfpuvNeT?prevSearch=allfield%3A%28Jureidini+J+and+Mansfield+P%29&journalCode=apy
    6. Four issues of Healthy Scepticism NZ 1998-2000.
    7. Mansfield PR, Lexchin J. MaLAM: networking for scientific integrity in drug promotion. Essential Drugs Monitor 1997; 24: 5
    http://healthyskepticism.org/library/EDM/24/Page5.pdf
    8. Mansfield P. Are Pharmaceutical customers prey or partners? Scrip magazine 1995: June: 14-5
    9. Mansfield PR. Encouraging trustworthy drug advertising. Essential Drugs Monitor 1994; 17: 6-7.
    10. Mansfield PR. Pharmaceutical promotion. Australian Prescriber 1993; 16: 3: 60.
    11. Mansfield PR. MaLAM calls for better drug information. Essential Drugs Monitor 1989; 8: 9.
    12. Mansfield PR. MaLAM's open letter to industry. Scrip 1989; 1457: 22-23.
    13. Mansfield P. Protecting the innocent from harm: the Medical Lobby for Appropriate Marketing (MLAM). New Doctor 1985 Jun(36): 22-24.

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Entry last updated: Saturday, 14 Sep 2019