The Consumers International report says drug companies use unscrupulous and unethical marketing tactics not only to influence doctors to prescribe their products but also subtly to persuade consumers that they need them...the companies violate their own industry's ethical marketing codes. Patients' health may suffer if a drug such as Vioxx - a painkiller later withdrawn - is over-promoted. Yet, says Consumers International in its report, there is "a shocking lack of publicly available information about the $60bn spent annually by the industry on drug promotion". The report...[says]...Drug companies...make inaccurate claims about the safety and efficacy of their drugs..."This type of 'nice-and-friendly' marketing is often disguised as corporate social responsibility..." says Consumers International. [also refers to Pfizer, Eli Lilly, Novartis, Wyeth]