23 THOUGHT LEADER - Doctored truths

In 2022, then-FDA Commissioner Dr Robert Califf stated that misinformation and disinformation – not heart disease, cancer or even COVID-19 – had become the leading causes of death in the United States.

Provocative though it sounds, he captured a global health crisis that is now impossible to ignore: false health information is spreading at unprecedented speed, with consequences that touch every patient, every healthcare professional and every therapy area.

This surge in misinformation is colliding with a crisis of trust in the pillars that once defined medical truth.

New data from Point.1, Havas Lynx’s proprietary data product, reveals that confidence in healthcare professionals is declining across generations.

Trust in non-governmental health bodies such as the WHO has also eroded, with barely half of patients still believing in its guidance.

As HCPs’ time is stretched to its limit and traditional authorities lose credibility, patients are increasingly turning online for support and guidance.

For many, digital peer-based communities can offer reassurance and a sense of agency that formal healthcare systems cannot always provide.

Yet the very platforms that connect and empower patients can also mislead.

Research indicates nearly one-third of health content on social media now contains misinformation.

The result is that patients must often navigate a minefield of conspiracy theories, viral fads and unqualified voices, many of whom lack medical expertise or operate with ulterior motives.

Healthcare systems, already under strain, are struggling to contain the fallout.

When misinformation drowns out evidence-based medicine, patients are left vulnerable and HCPs face the dual challenge of addressing both illness and the ill-informed.

Point.1 data reveals the terrible impact:

4/5 HCPs believe their patients have experienced physical or mental harm due to misinformation
A third of patients regret a health decision they have made because they acted on misinformation
61% of HCPs say misinformation has caused a loss of trust between them and their patients.

Particularly in contexts where scientific understanding is limited or access to care is constrained, misinformation can resonate deeply with patients who are actively seeking reassurance and support.

Vulnerable groups are often hit hardest.

The ripple effects extend far beyond individual cases, undermining public health, social cohesion and even economic stability.

The pharmaceutical industry sits at the precipice of the misinformation crisis.
From vaccine hesitancy to unproven alternatives, the industry feels the full force of its impact both ethically and commercially.

As debate intensifies over the future of direct-to-consumer advertising in the US and calls grow to rethink the commercial model of medicines, it is more vital than ever that pharma responds to the erosion of trust that is allowing misinformation to thrive.

Pharma has both the responsibility and the opportunity to act.

HCP expectations for pharma are clear: according to Point.1, 71% of HCPs believe pharma has a responsibility to help tackle misinformation, yet only 41% feel enough is being done by the sector.

To safeguard the credibility of evidence-based medicine, we must confront the reality that anyone online can claim expertise and that this alone can be deadly.

As custodians of vast clinical data, pharma has the tools and the reach to take on this challenge.

Because in a world where anyone can play doctor, inaction is not neutral: it costs lives.

Pharma’s response will not only shape its future reputation but could help safeguard the very foundation of modern medicine.