The following is number 1 in a series of 5 blog posts where I will aim to exclusively post 5 videos that have came into my possession.
The videos, which run for approximately 12-15 minutes, were produced by Dragon Communications Limited (now dissolved) on behalf of SmithKline Beecham Pharmaceuticals (Now known as GSK). They were all part of an attempt by GSK to educate GP's in the UK back in 1992. Seroxat, by the way, was first licenced in the UK in 1990.
Although the brand name 'Seroxat' isn't mentioned in the videos, we can see by the accompanying VHS cases (Fig 1) how GSK subliminally and, it has to be said, successfully, convinced prescribing GPs in the UK that Seroxat should be the 'choice' of drug when treating depression, anxiety, and sleep disorders.
Dragon Communications Limited, as mentioned above, have now dissolved. They and GSK also teamed up to create a Hepatitis-B educational video. The video, published in 1986, was called, 'Hepatitis-B : it doesn't happen here'.
They also wrote a 4-volume book for Pfizer regarding Inflammation and arthritis. When I say 'wrote' they probably just wrote what Pfizer told them to.
The 5-set videos were purchased on Ebay by my very good friend, Brian Daniels of CCHR UK. He, in turn, converted them into a digital format so I could, firstly, watch them and, secondly, distribute them so others could draw their own conclusions.
Remember, it was 1992 in the UK when GP practices would have received these videos. At the time, Prozac had a stranglehold on the UK antidepressant market and GSK were desperately trying to knock it off the perch. It was also a time when Tricyclic antidepressants were coming to their end because of side-effects associated with them, something GSK really drive home in the 'Choices' video below.
Since 1992, Seroxat has been the subject of many lawsuits, it's been through the courts (in the US) and evidence has come to light that it causses severe withdrawal problems, suicidal thinking, suicidal actions and birth defects. There are links at the foot of this post that I've covered previously on my blog.
Okay, without further ado, here's the video. Be sure to pay attention to the clever marketing tricks they use without crossing the line. They are all but telling GPs that depressed and anxious people have a chemical imbalance...without actually uttering the term. The 'sciency' type graphics in the video were, I believe, created as a distraction when you listen to the narrative played over them.
Terms such as:
"It is thought"
"It may"
"Likely to be of importance"
"The theory provides support"
"Are thought to be important"
"Could increase"
"May result"
"Sleep and wakefulness are thought to be controlled..."
"It's thought that serotonergic neurons..."
"The role of serotonin in depression, anxiety and sleep disorder, suggest..."
"May be a useful approach"
"It seems evident"
"Various minds of evidence"
Anyway, here's the video. I make no apologies for the acting performances.
