Restless Legs Syndrome
Glaxo Smith Kline made restless legs syndrome – a disorder characterized in part by the urge to move one’s legs at night – a household term in 2003, when it ran a vigorous awareness campaign for the disorder. The pharmaceutical company began by issuing press releases about presentations given at the 2003 annual meeting for the American Academy of Neurology, a professional society representing neurologists and neuroscientists. Two months later it distributed another press release, for a company-funded, as yet unpublished study, entitled “New survey reveals common yet under-recognized disorder – restless legs syndrome – is keeping Americans awake at night.” The press releases led to a slew of media coverage of the disorder; according to an analysis in 2006, one fifth of all articles written about it referred readers to the nonprofit Restless Legs Syndrome Foundation for more information, an organization that is heavily subsidized by Glaxo Smith Kline.