In some ways, all of John Abraham’s research on Pharmaceuticals & Society could be regarded as part of medical sociology. However, this section is devoted to how his work has influenced medical sociology more broadly. There are five principal aspects. First, John is well-known in medical sociology for pressing for political analyses and more specifically for the importance of integrating medical sociology with political sociology. In particular his invention of corporate bias theory and neo-liberal corporate bias theory to explain the behaviour of regulatory agencies in capitalist societies. Secondly, he was the first sociologist to introduce the concept of pharmaceuticalization both as a term in 2007, and as a substantive analytical framework in sociology in 2010 within which the longstanding medical sociology concept of medicalization may be located. Thirdly, he is known for inventing the term ‘patient-industrial complex’ and introducing it to medical sociology. Fourthly, he has consistently argued that medical sociology can, and should, be social scientific with a view to providing knowledge robust enough to inform social/policy change. Fifthly, he is well known for advocating realist empirical research, objectivism, and truth-value, in contradistinction to relativism of truth, constructivism, positivism, and solely theoretical realism. In addition to his work on Pharmaceuticals & Society, John’s work in the field of Medical Sociology is exemplified in the following publications:
John Abraham Science, Politics and the Pharmaceutical Industry, 248pp, UCL Press, 1995.
John Abraham (2008) ‘Sociology of pharmaceutical development and regulation: a realist empirical research programme’ Sociology of Health & Illness 30 (6): 869-85.
John Abraham (2007) ‘From evidence to theory – neo-liberal corporate bias as a framework for understanding UK pharmaceutical regulation’ Social Theory and Health 5: 161-75.
John Abraham and Courtney Davis Unhealthy Pharmaceutical Regulation: Innovation, Politics and Promissory Science, 248pp, Palgrave, 2013.