What is Digg?58 Comments
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+70I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry, and people wouldn't believe how cynical and corrupt it is. Bribing doctors to prescribe their brand of medications? That's nothing. Try "burying research on how to cure diseases in order to keep selling medication which treats the symptoms", "robbing third-world countries blind", "price gouging", "forming cartels", and "faking research".
- AllenS, on 10/12/2007, -0/+34It would be great if you could some articles to digg about these things. I think that the digg populace would be very interested in them.
- primehifi, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19I worked in a pharmacy and one of the drug companies sent us a box of apples once. Two red apples, fedex'd next day to us to promote a new drug.
They were tasty tho. - Spire3660, on 10/12/2007, -0/+19I honestly think that all prescription medicine should be forbidden to advertise. Doctors should be recommending drugs to a patient that fits their condition. Not, " Oh, I saw this commercial that told me that drug X is the right one for me, please prescribe it " Advertising prescription drugs in media is plain wrong. Doctors should be the ones influencing the patient on the correct medications, not the other way around.
- RichPowers, on 10/12/2007, -1/+20We view doctors with a certain benevolence, but they're part of a giant business apparatus too.
- RyeBrye, on 10/12/2007, -1/+16I have a friend who was a drug rep for a while. Most states have legislation that is basically making drug reps jobs disappear... In Vermont a doctor has to report anything he receives over $50 in value, and in New York drug companies can't get access to data on what is being prescribed (which makes it hard for a company to have any idea how effective its reps are being)...
Other states have legislation that will prevent that kind of stuff. The biggest thing that drug reps have is free samples. That's what gets them in the door to the doctors.
All big pharm has to do in order to completely eliminate their drug reps is ship drug samples directly to the doctors. Drug repping is not a good career path at this point. - BigSlacker, on 10/12/2007, -1/+14I had a Dr give me a handout from a drug company once. He thought I should try one of these new antibiotics that run $10 a pill. He thought it was too expensive so he grabbed a handful of samples out of his closet and just gave them too me. That bastard.
- ersatzphi, on 10/12/2007, -1/+11It's startling how much money goes into marketing and these "bribes" rather than research for new drugs. All these new drugs that are coming out are basically the same drug with a tiny change in a chemical here or there. There has been very little progress in the past few years. Unfortunately, a lot of the problem comes from the investors who want a quick profit rather than any long term goals of creating new drugs for the benefit of humanity. It's sad really.
- modiggs1976, on 10/12/2007, -0/+9Hate to sound cruel, but this might be a good idea. I used to work at a doctor's office and those pernicious ***** will take time from the doctor's schedule to sign their annoying clipboard. Nevermind that the doctor needs to uh, do labs, see patients, even do a cryo. Man, I hate those sniveling two-faced weasels.
True story: I was bullied in high school. I was beat up by this jock who spit in my eyes. Guess what he does for a living? Yes, pharma reps are LITERALLY bullies. - PrimaryRamus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9This starts early. Med students don't go to seminars without free food.
- inactive, on 10/12/2007, -1/+8Netwolf: get off your high horse. it is great that you have found a way to deal with reality, but the bird's eye view remains the same: a drug rep is not a "product expert" - that would be a title for a pharmacologist. A drug rep is a sales drone (or agent, if you prefer) who is exposed to literature and articles designed to present the drug product in the best light possible and to defend its shortcomings. A question about specifics of the disease the advertised drug is supposed to treat often results in a blank stare from a drug rep. A physician on the other hand is expected to know *everything* there is to know about medicine, so of course no matter how much he/she knows it will never reach 100%. Not only that, a physician is expected to make decisions daily, staking the patient's well being and own license to practice medicine on every one of those decisions. So - please, don't even attempt to draw parallels between a doctor and yourself.
- masamunecyrus, on 10/12/2007, -2/+9It starts before they become doctors. Medical schools, like so many other graduate schools, limit how many people they accept into graduate school so that the demand for doctors goes up and their salary goes up. It doesn't matter if you have a 4.0 and are a perfect choice for being accepted into medical school -- if they've already filled their quota, they're not going to accept you.
- glucoseboy, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6I used to be a drug rep, did it for 5 years. The rticle's author pretty much hit it on the head. I was there to stroke the doctor's ego, flatter then, get face time so then can associate those good feelings with the drugs I was promoting. It's naked marketing, pure and simple.
Personally, I think one way to reduce the cost of drugs is to eliminate all direct to consumer marketing and outlaw drug reps (and free drug samples) The drug companies want to do it too. Just think how much money they could save if they didn't have to pay all those folks to go office to office bringing lunches, pens, etc. Sure, pens are cheap but put one (or more ) in every doctors' hand in America and it adds up. They want to, but they can't because they're caught in this sort of drug marketing "arms race" with their competitors. If you stop your marketing and fire your reps, the other guy who doesn't is going to grab your sales.
The good news is that there are signs that this change is coming. Pfizer announced recently that they're going to layoff 2400 reps nationwide. Hopefully, the other companies can follow suit and everyone will benefit (well except for the reps that is, but hey, they can get another job, I did) - billyvnilly, on 10/12/2007, -1/+7I am a med student and can tell you that the ass kissing starts early.
I can also tell you that our hospital (county seat hospital with cheap student-run clinics) rely on free samples to treat our patients. I have plenty of mentors, and I cant think of one that actively enjoys having drug reps at the hospital. but who is going to refuse a lunch.
At our sister hospital, they have gone to a drug rep free program. I was shocked when I did a rotation there and saw they were using sliding scale insulin instead of a Lantus (didn't even know what it was) and rapid-acting insulin before meals. They didn't know what Lantus was because no drug reps are there to push it. Sure doctors are required to continue their education, but their own endeavors are not apparently enough. Just recently, I've been introduced to a new class of oral diabetic drugs that residents at our sister hospital have no idea even as to what the mechanism of the drug is.
It is nice when drug reps are nurses, but that can't always be the case.
As for the author's remarks about gratitude, I've seen a lot of that already and the disenfranchisement process has begun. Forget money, its hard to enjoy your money while you are working your 12hr days. Gratitude on that daily basis is far more rewarding, but we will still keep the money. People think that doctors get paid tons, but they forget that malpractice is insane, that the cost of education has far out scaled the amount of money that will be coming into my pocket down the road, and that doctor's salaries really have not "inflated" as much as the medical costs around them [edit - primary care physician's salaries]. - daeken, on 10/12/2007, -0/+6@Software2:
Only the next morning when he woke up in some strange pharmacist's bed. - bubbaliscious, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5For Billyvinilly-
I challenge you.
Pay $10/month for your own pens.
Pay $10/week for your own lunch rather than have 2/week on the drug companies.
For this small amount of money you will
1) Regain self pride and transparency.
2) Remain objective regarding your medication selection.
3) Be able to answer truthfully to your family regarding this issue.
4) Not have to talk with reps and have your ego stroked.
With my $130,000 med school debt I still managed to buy my own lunch. - Spire3660, on 10/12/2007, -0/+5NO. Consumers are not qualified to make decisions regarding prescription medicine. That is the doctor's job. They are trained to 'make the call', and not just pass the buck to the patient. It is the doctor's duty to research drugs, they should KNOW what they are prescribing. Simply giving a patient whatever drug they saw on TV is illogical at best. Doctors are paid to make those decisions, its their career. For them to say "well there are 8 drugs that can treat this, choose one", is irresponsible and dangerous. If you want to be a doctor and wear the fancy white coat, you better be prepared to make the tough calls.
- lorus, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I founded/ran an online community (http://www.paxilprogress.org) for 6 years that helped people rescue themselves from the ravages of Paxil. Got myself off the junk. So many are the victims of a pharmaceutical company's marketing plan. So much of that experience called "being human" is medicated as an illness, it's absolutely disgusting. We are an exceptionally primitive society with how we let egoic identity piss all over healthcare (1-doctor's books and marketing quotes are holier than your personal experience. 2-don't be independent; swallow and come back in a few months. 3-when life is difficult, don't grow, medicate).
Anyway, taking handouts encourages pharmcos to keep doing it. Probably not a good idea. - techlinks, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4He tries to make this sound okay, and that it's "needed" well, listen, if every doctor in the US all of a sudden stopped accepting these bribes, the drug companies would smarten up in a hurry.
- DrSteveD, on 10/12/2007, -1/+54 years of undergrad ~100K
4 years of medical school ~200K
Federal Stafford loans are currently 6.8% interest
300K at 6.8% interest paid off over 30 years is about $2000/month or about $3500/month if you want to pay it off in 10.
Toss in a $3000/month mortgage and you are already up to $5000-6500/month in loan payments alone. Add a note for a reasonably priced car and you can easily push that to over 7K month. If you want to maintain an AA credit rating you need to keep your debt to income ratio at under 20%, you need to make between $25000 and $35000/month. Most physicians don't come anywhere close to making that much. - DrSteveD, on 10/12/2007, -1/+5@netwolf
No doctor can know everything about every drug but I have a handy tool called a PDA with software that is updated daily with all that information plus so much more. - fjvwing, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Free samples are cool, though, when your doc can give them to you to try a new med without having to pay for it before you know if it works. It's not like pharmacies have End-Of-The-Blister-Strip Money Back Guarantee.
- QuickMD, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4I had a much longer response some of these comments, but knew my irate tirade would be dug down.
I am more then happy to take the handouts, as a broke resident who works insane hours, i am more then happy to get an expensive book, a good meal, or even that smile and talking with someone who doesnt want something from me. Rather then another pound of flesh for another moronic patient or nurse, woopie, I just love my job, and thats what its become, a job, not a profession (much like lawyers, and anyone else wasting their time in a professional school).
Also people need to stop holding us to these high standards while disrespecting us. Chose one or the other, since currently the way i am treated, I am going from being "House"-like, to just plain old hating patients, which is sad since there was a day that I really enjoyed my time with them.
And if you dont like what i say or feel, tough, since there are more and more doctors jumping ship from caring for patients because of BS topics like this. There are much greater things in medicine that need reform, this is by far the least of all of them. - brandonking, on 10/12/2007, -0/+4Former drug rep here, too (thankfully I have left that world behind). I concur. This a great article.
One thing that should be said is that the reps are more just a symbol of 'power' for drug companies at this point. No one wants to fire them because it looks bad to investors - like they're giving up and letting the competition win. Really, there is no need for drug reps anymore. The same ***** can be accomplished with a web page form (called e-detailing now), and the salaries, especially for the work done, are idiotic (though, I did like making idiotic money for nearly no 'work')
If you want to see what people in the position are like, albeit on an anonymous forum, check out cafepharma (google it). This is where reps go to let out steam, start/spread rumors, and act like general asses. Some of the people I met in pharma were actually very cool, but the problem is the job itself. It is a pointless, wasteful, and sad existence that mires you down in business-speak and unattainable goals. The vast vast vast majority of a drug's market impact comes through formulary coverage, so if you got good coverage, you're set. Ugh. I used market impact. that's another thing. Drugs aren't medicine which makes the world better. At least not to you. To you they are a branded product, like bubble gum and window cleaner, which you have to 'sell', though you don't exchange money for the product.
Okay, I could rant for another year on this, but I'll stop now. It was just, just wow. There are no words. - inactive, on 10/12/2007, -2/+6Is this really news?
The entire ***** medical and insurance system is a big scam. Anyone who pays attention to their statements knows this.
Ever have surgery? They seriously charge you $10 for a marker. I had my tonsils out and noticed that on the list. WTF did they use a marker on? They price gouge the ***** out of EVERYTHING.
Or look at how they charge you $200 for blood to be drawn and tested.
Even though you might not pay for it yourself, your insurance does. Which in turn drives up insurance rates, so in the end everyone pays more to cover it all.
Same applies with pharmaceutical companies. All their ***** is a joke, for the most part. They push their agenda onto doctors, who in turn push it onto their patients. Antibiotics where the pills are seriously $10 each. Medicine should *not* cost that much ever.
Go look at your statements, you'll be ***** shocked. - senseigmg, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3College students don't go to seminars without free food.
@masamunecyrus
Have you researched a career in medicine? Are you applying to medical school?
I'm in the application process right now, and it has nothing to do with filling some sort of magical quota with an artificial cap on students. Some people have it in them to become a great physician, others look great on paper but have a ***** personality. Should anybody above a certain GPA be allowed to make medical decisions for other people? How about a philosophy major who aced his major classes, but sucked at science classes; is he even going to be able to make it past the first week?
Medical school is 2 semesters of undergraduate workload crammed into one semester. Its not for everybody, and they work very hard in keeping you there once you're in. Schools want some students just as much as the students want the school. - bubbaliscious, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3I'm thankful that I spend 75% of my awake hours in a profession I love, even after nearly 7 years of residency and fellowship. I look forward to work each morning. This is despite the occasional patient that is not pleased no matter what I have to say.
While the pharmaceutical issue is not the greatest issue in medicine it sure removes 1 of the many "hassle" factors in my daily workday. I don't think about how to land the next free meal or how to act nice to a rep who irritates the ***** out of me. I don't have to make up some stupid comment about why their interpretation of a study is no better than my 6 year olds child's. The drug reps stopped bothering me in the hallway and elevator. My simple suggestion rather than a crusade. - GoatJuggler, on 10/12/2007, -0/+3My family doctor's known my family for years, and we keep going because he is actually good. So the one time I went in for heartburn, he tossed me a free sample 30 day supply of Aciphex. Actual retail price is a couple hundred dollars. He said my insurance probably won't cover it after it runs out, so we'll see what they recommend. Worked out just as he said, and I had $5/month Prevacid. What's sad, is that a year and half later, working in a package shipping company, the Aciphex folks are shipping ridiculous paraphernelia with descriptions on the box, and LOTS of it. Aciphex clocks, Aciphex staplers, Aciphex this & that. Dakota Fanning even mentions it in one movie. The best part is, try saying it out loud without laughing.
- geronimo, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2It used to be illegal to market prescription pills to consumers but drug companies lobbied for it, they are getting exactly what they deserve. I have never seen the logic in this - as we all know they market pills vs providing information. The ads are propaganda and appeal to emotions, it's really sick. Almost as sick as the compensation system setup to reward doctors for pushing pills and meeting quotas. As a consumer not affiliated with medicine I can't imagine how anyone could work in the industry and sleep at night and I have nothing but contempt for the people in the industry who work against the consumers. The entire purpose is to market vs providing information. I'm glad you have seen the light.
- asancho, on 10/12/2007, -0/+2"I have worked in the pharmaceutical industry, and people wouldn't believe how cynical and corrupt it is. Bribing doctors to prescribe their brand of medications? That's nothing. Try "burying research on how to cure diseases in order to keep selling medication which treats the symptoms", "robbing third-world countries blind", "price gouging", "forming cartels", and "faking research"."
Im a scientist, and i guarantee you all of the corruptness that occurs in big pharmaceutical companies is the direct result of the accounting/marketing/business suit people rather than the scientists. If and when i do work at a large pharmeceutical firm if some suit-type pulled me aside and said "hey, we need you to show that drug X does function Y, but your data shows otherwise" i would tell him where he could stick my pipette.No joke. If you are a real scientist, no matter how big your firm is, you would respect data integrety more than kissing your bosses ass.
My 2 cents. - billyvnilly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1@bubbaliscious
my own personal mentor has distaste for drug reps. so if we do get a drug rep meal its from drugs I already prescribe, or 'bleeding-edge' drugs that are good learning topics. we do not really permit any drug rep to enter our facilities. And i work in a clinic; so I've managed to prescribe whats covered by Missouri medicaid or on the wal-mart/target formulary. But if i look at my hospital as a whole... just yuck!
man, my college debt has almost surpassed yours and i don't graduate till may 09.
// I really HATE digg's comment system... how the hell can anyone carry on a cohesive convo. - billyvnilly, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1QuickMD is correct on both his points. doctors are held in high esteem. Being pillars of a society is not what i signed up for. I like medicine. I like being rewarded for fixing complex problems. Psychologists call us crazy because we have the worst delayed gratitude then any other profession.
Millions? There are not that many rich doctors. we make the same as a successful businessman. when i graduate and go into residency.....how much money will i be making... I know two students graduating in may that actually will be losing money by going into residency; their student loans exceed their resident salaries by a few thousand dollars. - greenlight2001, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1"This starts early. Med students don't go to seminars without free food."
Pretty accurate. I hear this at least 3 times a week.
Med Student 1: "You going to the noon time presentation?"
Med Student 2: "They got food there?"
Med Student 1: "Yep."
Med Student 2: "Then yes."
Med Student 2 is me ;) - geronimo, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2Yup. I appreciate how they keep pushing pills to treat the symptoms caused by H. pylori rather than just giving antibiotics to kill the H. pylori.
And if you google it you can find plenty of pharmco databases used to keep track of doctors, how many pills they have pushed, what to reward them. Working in that industry requires not having a soul. - QuickMD, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1From the personal attack I received above shows the kind of retards I get to deal with every day, an idiot that has no idea what I do or go through, but judges me. Maybe i should judge them, from the post they strike me as a 5th grade drop out (not to insult any 5th grade drop outs that may have posted more useful info) :)
I really think that doctors should all strike one day, just fr 24 hours. Then, just maybe we would be given back a bit of that respect that I give to the person who grooms my golden retriever, to the garbage guys, to pretty much everyone, but I get very little back at work. I enjoy not being home, not seeing my wife, dog, or my future kid (who is coming in march, hope i can get the time off to be at the birth, and I will beat if he says"dad i want to be a doctor too.". Woohoo sign me up, I like to be abused. Thank you sir may I have another.
Millions of dollars of possible income, BWAHAHAHAHA. thats enough of a response to that. Show of hands for the rich doctors?? anybody?? No?? didnt think so, unless your 60 yrs old and was practicing during the good times, but that demographic aint on digg :) - sq2shooter, on 10/12/2007, -2/+3I refuse to go to a doctor that does not see reps. They are busy people and typically do not have the time to research new journal articles. Reps can be an excellent source of new clinical information, then they can make the appropriate decision. Reps have been banned from taking doctors to Mets games, or golf, or other sports or entertainment related functions for a number of years now. If your doctor is swayed by receiving a 25 cent pen or an $8 lunch, then he is a moron and you need a new doctor.
- Spire3660, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1I read exactly what you wrote AtWorkSurfer. My point is, this not a decision for a patient to make. If I have a doctor and hes asking what drug I would prefer, without having taken any of them beforehand, Id be little concerned about the doctor's competance. His JOB is to make that decision for you, thats what you pay him for. His job is to take into account patient's symptoms, physiology, medical history, and genetic background and choose a drug that would be best suited for those parameters. Beyond that, if the drugs are all equal,(dosage, side effects, ingestion method) then the one with the longest case history should be chosen, and after that the most economical. But under no circumstances should we have patients choosing drug X over drug Y based on how much they spend on marketing.
- bubbaliscious, on 10/12/2007, -0/+1One thing that helped me from disliking patients is to not have my happiness/mood dependent upon the patients "happiness" with my recommendations. I feel happy when I get all the information from the patient and studies to make the best diagnostic or therpeutic recommendations. I've had many patients make very stupid decisions (not about their botox or sleeping pill) that put them at significant risk of death (I'm a critical care physician). If they would rather read joe blows recommendations on the internet or Aunt Martha's treatment of her fungal infection rather than your recommendations to treat their septic shock then that is their issue not yours.
After that move on to the next patient. - toddwa, on 10/12/2007, -1/+2I live in a small midwestern town and have a good friend that hangs with a couple local doctors. When the reps come to town they typically throw a small party at a local restaurant usually there are less than 10 people involved, and usually the bill runs 700-1000 dollars. The rep picks up the tab sometimes hooks up with a med tech in the bathroom needless to say its a wild time.
- AtWorkSurfer, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Did you read, what I wrote, Spire? In many cases doctors CANNOT know which drug will work best for a GIVEN INDIVIDUAL. Clinical trials are designed to determine which drugs work best for populations as a whole, but an individual is NOT the same as a study population. The results of a clinical trial can be said to be applicable to populations similar to those that were studied, they cannot necessarily be said to be applicable to a single person, even a single person within the study population. Once you wrap your mind around that, you'll understand that there is no way for a doctor to predict which drug will be best for a given patient, no matter how much research that doctor might do. It comes down to a coin toss, and 8 years of training doesn't make a doctor any better of a coin flipper.
- bubbaliscious, on 10/12/2007, -3/+3Pharmaceutical reps days are numbered. Many physicians (although few in number) are uncomfortable with the lack of transparency regarding this relationship with the pharmaceutical industry. These few physicians are a powerful voice within medicine because the truth is hard to control.
Any physician that relies on them for "knowledge" has missed the most powerful aspect of medical training which is self-education.
Our medical group (1000 physicians) will be banning pharmaceutical representatives in the next month. This in addition to no free samples for the last 7 years. Free samples are just an easy way to the new latest (most expensive) drugs in patients hands and 6 months later charge a large amount when the supply "runs out". Unfortunately both patients and doctors fall for this.
There is nothing special about physicians or their training that make "free lunches" a right. - Stuarts, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1Med students might not go to seminars without food, but apparently the latest scientific research shows that an apple a day really does keep the doctor away!
http://www.nutritionchamp.com/49026.php - jrusso9, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0I *LOVE* how much emotion is stirred up by this post. I have been exposed to drug companies for 26 years now. The laws now prohibit them from doing alot of the old day type bribing (trips, meals, tickets).
They are not ALL good or ALL bad. They have some good factors:
1) Give drug samples to patients that save a lot of $ to PATIENT - ALWAYS ASK YOUR MD ASK FOR ANY SAMPLES IF HE/SHE PRESCRIBES MEDS - usually there will be some. I usually grab a $90 inhaler at least!
2) For destitute people, they will pay for your meds
3) I have eaten great meals thanks to the drug companies
4) I got some cool clocks, pens and laser pointers!
The US are the drug companies "last hurrah", as most other nations won't let them get away with the criminal pricing they can do here.
BUY YOUR MEDS IN CANADA :) - eleraama, on 10/12/2007, -1/+1I agree with NetWolf. Both of my parents (get the jokes over with now) have been in the pharmaceutical industry in the US for over ten years, and it's not the corrupt evil industry people make it out to be (though as with any issue, there are several sides to the story.) Tackling a few things specifically:
1) Drug Reps are designed to increase physicians' exposure to new products. A doctor with a thriving practice simply cannot be expected to read every medical magazine on the market and keep up with even the ten biggest companies' new medicines. The job of the drug rep is to introduce the doctor to their product, and give them some idea of situations in which it can be prescribed, not to brainwash or bribe the doctor to prescribe the product.
2) Drugs are so expensive not because of some conspiracy between the companies, but because it costs so much to produce each drug. Before any product is even given to the FDA for approval, there are years and years of expensive research behind it, and when it reaches the market it has to be produced and marketed. Consider the largest pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, which is by far larger than any of its competitors--their costs are no cheaper than any other company.
3) As much as people would like to think that drug companies are just handing out trips to Italy, etc, most of these things have been illegal for several years in the US. Current laws essentially limit anything a rep can give to a doctor to "something that will help patients".
** And don't *even* think to discredit me because my parents are in the industry. I'm no pharma fanboy-- I support socialized medicine-- but we have to take these issues with a grain of salt and try to ignore the hype. - QuickMD, on 10/12/2007, -0/+0AMEN. thought that dollar pen may sway me :) all metal and nice.
- netwolf, on 10/12/2007, -9/+8Let me start by mentioning that I am currently a pharmaceutical rep working in a Fortune 100 Company in Canada. I am always amused at how many articles are written about our industry and how lay people (and at times, physicians) tend to view us and our industry.
This dog pile of comments, some of whom happened to be bullied by someone in high school who ended up as rep, are absolutely frightening! Let’s start with the reality: WE CANNOT influence a physician to write a drug because of a rep. Perhaps he would consider the rep influence when choosing the drug, but doctors are obligated to write a prescription based on what “they” as medical professionals know is the best choice for the patient and not that a drug rep gave them a pen. I acknowledge that if you like someone you want to do business with them, but I have yet to see a doctor writing a drug because he got a pen! Just because the reps tend to be university graduates (basic requirement to even get an interview), are polite, yea..good looking (looks in mirror) do not make us bad individuals.
As for this cat and mouse game claim of our industry buying a doctor: Nothing can be farther from the truth. Yes, we do bring in a lunch; yes, we do send Key OPL’s to Advisory Boards and yes we do leave samples. Is this any different from any other industry?
We, at least in Canada, are governed by very strict rules which dictate what we can and cannot do with a customer (Source: http://www.canadapharma.org/Industry_Publications/Code/Code_of_Conduct_e_2006.pdf). In the US, our counterparts are given about $100 as yearly expenses per physician.
What I as a rep find appalling is the greed "some" of these doctors have. I am still puzzled why they like to sensationalize normal business practices as the deal with devil. Anyways, I have always felt myself to be a “product expert” and the physician to be a “patient expert”.
No doctor, let me repeat, no doctor can profess to know everything there is about all drugs, their side effects, recent updates in clinical magazines, papers. It’s just not possible…My role is to be a consultant. I do know what my drug can and cannot do and I do present the evidence based medicine. - netwolf, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0Further to my initial post and outside the ranting and ravings of a demented few here, our industry actually helps to saves lives...(and don't get me started on the generic drug industry).
Nevertheless, I wanted to point out a transparent, realistic picture of how this industry is scaled and how important the guidelines are for us to live and work by.
Check out this link: http://www.canadapharma.org/Industry_Publications/Code/IPRCCodeInfractions_e.html
You can see for yourself what type of infractions occur (not just hearsay about someone hooking up with someone else) but concrete real information about the implications of breaking any rules... - BigSlacker, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1So, you aren't an MD making the big bucks...for ethical reasons?
- JamesWyatt, on 10/12/2007, -1/+0
Ask if your Doctor is Pharm-Raised?
Chicken Eggs - Good
Doctors - Bad - netwolf, on 10/12/2007, -2/+1This is called a CME or CHE and usually we sponsor a journal club or a speaker to discuss a relevant article or study or product. It is normal business practice and there is absolutely nothing wrong or hidden in the information being provided (mind you that the speaker will have severe credibility issues if he even appears to be biased!). As for hooking up with someone later...what are you in grade school? That has nothing to do with event at hand...
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