Ivory Towers, Dark Towers

SUMMARYThis article discusses some of the social and organizational forces acting on pharmacy educators. It argues that these forces make the presentation of a balanced, in-depth discussion of the pharmaceutical industry extremely difficult. Evidence that the popular culture has demonized pharmaceutical executives to the point of caricature is presented, and the point is offered that this sort of distortion has found its way into the academy. Sources of potential bias against the industry are discussed, as well as the various sins of omission and commission to which pharmacy faculty may be prone which contribute to the negative image of a life-saving industry, as well as suggestions for positive action.