Medical writing, the marketing playbook, and the pharmaceutical industry

Maud Bernisson, Willem Halffman and Sergio Sismondo

Chapter 18 in Handbook of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology Studies, 2026, pp 289-305 from Edward Elgar Publishing

Abstract: This chapter provides a brief overview of pharmaceutical marketing, identifying its central goals and strategies involving the intertwinement of tools that run from regulatory approval to the shaping of diseases, the development of medical literatures, or the marshalling of key opinion leaders. We chose as an entry point into this playbook the ghostwriting of medical journal articles and describe the crucial support that these articles provide for many other marketing efforts. In turn, this activity receives significant support from self-regulation by the pharmaceutical and medical writing industries, which allows it to continue fulfilling its key functions.

Keywords: Pharmaceutical marketing; Ghostwriting; Pharmaceuticalization; Medical education and communication companies; Interests; Interpretive flexibility (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2026
ISBN: 9781035338443
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