Theme: Selling the Pharm
(or, The Marketing of Medicine)
By Ken Greatorex & Roy Arnott
(Click on the grid to enlarge and print)
STANDARD CLUES (Scroll Down for Cryptic Clues)
ACROSS:
1. & 4 across: Jargon words or phrases, e.g. “Personalized medicine”, “targeted therapy”, “detox”, “anti-oxidant” which appear in advertising of over-the-counter medicines [4, 5]
4. See 1 across
6. An activity that one engages in for amusement [4]
8. Contempt, disdain (e.g. what the established ethical guidelines for promotion and marketing of medicines are increasingly being treated with) [5]
10. Make a limited available supply last longer by consuming it frugally [3]
12. The use of white coats or phrases like “9 out of 10 dentists recommend” in advertising medicines or pharmacy goods is an appeal to _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [9]
14. This brand of analgesic provides Ibuprofen 200 mg in different packaging for sufferers of General pain, Migraines and Menstrual pain. It also cross-promotes with the “National Headache Foundation” [5]
16. Yield, relinquish [4]
18. Much overused buzz word which implies that products sourced from the physical world are innately preferable to man-made products [7]
22. Soil with roughly equal proportions of sand, silt and clay [4]
24. Supervises [8]
26. Dried grain stalk [5]
28. Competent [4]
30. Tiers [4]
32. Leisure pastime often appropriated in advertising of OTC medicines [5]
33. Prefix related to muscle [3]
35. Off-patent medicines such as Atorvastatin (Lipitor) may be available in a large number of otherwise identical generic _ _ _ _ _ _ [6]
36. Renovates [6]
37. Procurer, panderer [4]
40. When a genuine evidence base is lacking, non-prescription medicines are often advertised using celebrity _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ [12]
42. Complain or find fault continually about trivial matters [4]
43. White fluid secreted by female mammals for the nourishment of young [4]
44. Statements of ethical principles and standards to which individuals and organisations subscribe. A recent report found that over 70% of marketers of non-prescription medicines in Australia are in breach of theirs [5]
48. A medicine which provides psychological rather than physiological benefit to the patient [7]
50. Social group of people generally of common descent [5]
52. Ancient [3]
54. Bring into existence [6]
57. To draw attention to a product in public media in order to promote sales [9]
58. A popular physical fitness system developed in the early 20th century [7]
59. A Conifer [3]
60. An allowance of extra weight made to purchasers of certain exotic goods to compensate for waste or deterioration during transportation [4]
DOWN:
1. Symbol for element 35 [2]
2. Alternative medicine marketers may seek legitimacy by entering into some form of association with one of these educational institutions [10]
3. Great energy or enthusiasm in pursuing an objective [4]
4. & 31 down: Words or statements that are intentionally ambiguous or misleading. Look for them in the marketing of non-prescription medicines [6, 5]
5. Fleeced [5]
6. Some marketing attempts to tap into this emotion by suggesting that failure to purchase a certain product is putting the well-being of one’s loved ones at risk [5]
7. The most commonly used weasel word in advertising of non-prescription medicine. It strongly suggests that the product is effective while actually making no such commitment [3]
9. Eggs [3]
10. Ubiquitous buzz term which loosely equates with “health” [8]
13. Often used as a weasel-word alternative to “cure” or “relieve” [5]
15. & 37 down: The tendency for organisations such as pharmaceutical companies and sporting bodies to mention each other to mutual commercial advantage [5, 9]
17. Sleep on an improvised bed [4]
19. This country is the home of the FDA, often used as a yardstick for the regulation of therapeutic goods elsewhere [3]
20. Make improving changes. (Australian Skeptics maintain that the country’s Therapeutic Goods Administration is in great need of this where non-prescription medicines are concerned) [6]
21. The body of terms used in a particular technical area. Unfortunately, words like “quantum”, “detox”, “paleo”, “clinically proven” etc have entered complementary medicine’s promotional field with little or no regard for rigor [11]
23. Polite term of address for an adult male (abb) [2]
25. Protein derived from the beans of an Asian plant. Its ubiquity in advertising suggests an example of 29 down [3]
27. A typical strategy for a purveyor of a complementary medicine or product is to set up two of these, with different names, and as dissimilar appearance as possible. Then use them for enthusiastic 15 down [7]
29. & 41 down: An activity or cause that suddenly becomes fashionable; relevant examples include The Paleo Diet, Cucurmin (Tumeric), Echinaceae, acai berries, detoxification, Vitamin C for Colds & Flu [4, 5]
31. See 4 down
34. The opposite of “specific”. Non-prescription medicine marketers favour this approach. Example: “Product A makes you feel better” as opposed to the more specific “Product A cures / relieves …….” [7]
37. See 15 down
38. & 51 down: An association of industries or groups with allied interests. Unfortunately the regulation of complementary medicine in Australia is often left to such groups, with entirely predictable outcomes vis à vis their complaint procedure [4,4]
39. Perform spontaneously, “wing it” [9]
41. See 29 down
45. From elsewhere [6]
46. A giant multinational organisation which with brand proliferation is heavily into the “wellness” thing [6]
47. The sort of thing Adam might have done while Eve span [5]
48. Purple-brown colour [4]
49. As a noun, a very skilled person (possibly in The Dark Arts] [5]
51. See 38 down
53. Condensation [3]
55. Earth’s gaseous layer [3]
56. Consume [3]
CRYPTIC CLUES
1. & 4 across: Jargon from hive chat? [4, 5]
4. See 1 across
6. Place americium in germanium to find pursued animal [4]
8. Contempt for sulphurated unsophisticated humour [5]
10. Make small dog without soft start go longer [3]
12. Writer starts the right to give orders [9]
14. Notice 6:50 – Ibuprofen [5]
16. We hear it is a tennis ranking to give up [4]
18. For example – arsenic, horse manure and asbestos [7]
22. 50 honours for gardening [4]
24. Sounds like supervises abroad [8]
26. Fight back to holy man for fodder [5]
28. Sailor, the French can do [4]
30. Arguments in ship’s look out [4]
32. King is in position for game [5]
33. Muscular content of dummy offer [3]
35. Musical teams include Queen to make their marks [6]
36. Updates by adjusting Northern waste pipe [6]
37. Soft sprite manages working girl [4]
40. Work on dense mentors to flog products [12]
42. Nag fish [4]
43. 1,000 of that kind produce food [4]
44. A number of poems establish cryptographic keys [5]
48. Applaud honour to get feel good effect [7]
50. Costa packed in tellurium designates clan [5]
52. “In that stage of usefulness which is not inconsistent with general inefficiency” – Bierce [3]
54. Make by putting energy into container [6]
57. Is averted to send a message sales [9]
58. It pales to exercise [7]
59. Thou tree [3]
60. Reverse of ullage? [4]
DOWN:
1. Halogen used by UK transport organisation [2]
2. Place where participants are young enough to know everything [10]
3. “A certain nervous disorder afflicting the young and inexperienced. A passion that goeth before a sprawl” – Bierce [4]
4. & 31 down: Rowed awless sounds like an ambiguity [6, 5]
5. Elemental brass fleeced [5]
6. “The condition of one who is known to have committed an indiscretion, as distinguished from the state of him who has covered his tracks” Bierce [5]
7. This month take tuber back [3]
9. Cut off ellipse forms gamete [3]
10. Sell news to promote mind body and wallet marketing [8]
13. Engineer covered in trashy material to apply process [5]
15. & 37 down: Christian recruiting campaign? [5, 9]
17. Remove 20% of rubbish to find rough bed [4]
19. “The only country that went from barbarism to decadence without civilization in between” – Oscar Wilde [3]
20. “A campaign transparency, which is laid aside as soon as it has served its purpose“- Bierce [6]
21. In metrology one can find a choice of words [11]
23. Surgeon or man under rank of knighthood? [2]
25. Also yours to have protein drink [3]
27. Location of spider’s home [7]
29. & 41 down: Get on it but it sounds like the cart has been refused entry [4, 5]-
31. See 4 down
34. “In … the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one class of citizens to give to another”. Voltaire [7]
37. See 15 down
38. & 51 down: Mount Everest Sherpa Union? [4, 4]
39. Prove Impis make do [9]
41. See 29 down
45. Formerly ear related? Sounds a bit foreign [6]
46. Integer is the French sweet concern [6]
47. Dig deep in model verse [5]
48. Colour of French flea [4]
49. Applied adhesive dressing fixed to be skillful [5]
51. See 38 down
53. Condensation in slide way [3]
55. “A nutritious substance supplied by a bountiful Providence for the fattening of the poor” Bierce [3]
56. Take food in the arranged chairs [3]