"Gesundheit Sprechstunde": Buyable TV appearances?

According to observers, the medical director of the Ringier program suggested to a PR agency that the manufacturer of a drug should contribute 10,000 to 20,000 francs to the production costs. Such requests are made time and again. In return, according to the agency, the pharmaceutical company would be allowed to place an expert of its choice on the program and thus influence its content. According to an e-mail obtained by the Observer, the manufacturer's prescription drug is also to be mentioned in the program. However, this is prohibited under the Therapeutic Products Act.
Ringier does not dispute the e-mail inquiry, but emphasizes that the editorial team selects the experts and that no medication is mentioned by name. The supervisory authority Bakom had already reprimanded the "Gesundheit Sprechstunde" program five years ago for surreptitious advertising and inadmissible advertising of therapeutic products.