Public image, pharmaceutical companies

This policy may well be shortsighted, but competition is such that pharmaceutical companies would prefer to accept the risk and save the money. It is this attitude that is a major contributor to the poor image of the industry in the eyes of the public and the media. Unfortimately in this and many other fields, selfregulation has not worked, so we probably have to look to strengthening legal framework and setting down requirements if improvements are to be made. 

Professional trade associations usually represent pharmaceutical companies or distributors. These are concerned with the image of the industry, as well as providing social benefits through publicizing the products of their members. 

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