From: "Valerie W, McClain" <[log in to unmask]>
> I call the recent news about antioxidants in breastmilk, laying the
> groundwork/setting the scene for the selling of some products.   Now what
products
> might they be?

As a person with a business/marketing background, I absolutely agree with
Valerie that much of the research we are seeing these days, is done and
publicized to set the stage for products.

I am not a "conspiracy theorist" but just looking at this all from a
practical business point of view.

The big push in health care is "evidence-based medicine".  I imagine sales
reps have been visiting health professionals (doctors, nurses, etc) for
years now, and would ask questions like "what are you concerned about?
Where do you learn about new advances?  What do base your treatment
decisions on?  How do you decide what to do/prescribe to your patients?"
This is what a good sales rep does - they ask open-ended questions to find
out what the client values, what worries them, what are the challenges and
concerns.  A good sales rep hardly needs to present the product.  They get
to know the client so well, and their needs/concerns, that the conversation
will lead naturally towards the product, and the client will not feel like
the rep was "selling:" the product at all, but just coincidentally has this
product that solves all these concerns.  (BTW, this is how we should be
"selling" breastfeeding to moms, too - ask about their "big picture"
concerns about becoming a new mom, and once we know those, show how
breastfeeding will take care of them.  This is how formula co's will be
selling bottlefeeding to new moms, too).

So if the criteria that doctors have been demanding is that treatment
decisions are "evidence-based", then companies know they must provide this
evidence.  Making sure this evidence exists will become as important to the
company as the sales people, the product itself, etc.  The Journals, if they
are not careful, could easily become marketing vehicles.

As Valerie said, this research may be "laying the groundwork".  It is
probably easier to get researchers to research in general topics (ie
anti-oxidants in breastmilk) and a Journal to publish this research, BEFORE
a product is launched.  After there is a product, the conflict of interest
is probably too obvious.

In the past, breastfeeding advocates slowly came to recognize that the
marketing of formula was highly detrimental to the establishment and
sustaining of breastfeeding relationships.  Intended or not, the marketing
of formula becomes a competitor to breastfeeding.  And so, the WHO Code for
the Marketing of Breastmilk Substitutes was established and enforced (in
some countries).

We used to think of formula companies as "the enemy", and pharmaceutical
companies were only considered in their role as owning most of the formula
co's.  Based on Valerie's diligent work in exposing breast milk patents, I
agree with her that the new "arena" of competition for breastfeeding is the
pharmaceutical companies, themselves.

I propose that we require an international movement to write a new CODE -
that would somehow limit the use and patenting of breast-milk components, in
order to protect breastfeeding itself.  Intended or not, I can see that this
research into breast milk components has the power to undermine
breastfeeding, just as formula marketing has.

Janice Reynolds
(sharing ideas & looking for dialogue)

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