Drug money—and the price you could be paying
Dr. John Santa discusses the financial relationships between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry.
What’s wrong with promoting prescription drugs to doctors?
If you notice a lot of pens and scratch pads in your doctor’s office with logos on them, if you’re frequently offered free samples or often notice drug company "detailers" in the waiting room, you may be more likely to be treated with a new brand-name drug when an older standby would be just as good, cheaper, and maybe even safer. Free drug samples can end up costing more in the long run because eventually a prescription has to be written for that expensive drug. Those logos are very effective for brand-name recall. You might want to ask about your doctor’s policy on seeing drug representatives. I used to work in a big practice where about one-quarter of the doctors regularly saw drug representatives. They were more likely to prescribe the latest and most expensive drugs. But that’s just the start of the substantial and influential financial relationships between doctors and the pharmaceutical industry.
What more is there?
Physicians could virtually exist on the free meals delivered to their offices on a daily basis if they wanted to. One pharma detailer wrote an article about setting up a latte cart to get her foot in the door; doctors were more than happy to exchange a few minutes of their time for a free latte. Or you get invited to dinner at a nice restaurant for a "medical education" speech, and at the end of the night are handed an envelope with $100 inside. Or you participate in "research" that drug companies farm out to doctor’s offices. You don't have to do anything except follow their protocol, and they'll pay you $300 or $400 for every patient you put in the study. Doctors deny it, but the evidence is clear that these financial relationships lead to significant increases in prescribing and sales. If they didn't, the drug companies wouldn’t spend an estimated $20 billion a year on them.
Have you ever taken drug money?
I am sorry to say I agreed once to participate on an "advisory committee." A company had a new drug for dementia that it was marketing heavily. The meeting was in Vail, Colo., over spring break. The company flew my wife and me there and put us up in the best hotel. We got wined and dined, and all amenities were paid for by the company. But I left feeling compromised and decided I was never going to do that again, and I haven't. Drug companies should not be allowed to give gifts to practitioners, which just adds to already inflated drug costs.
—John Santa, M.D., M.P.H., associate professor of medicine at Portland State University and former medical director of the Drug Effectiveness Review Project in Oregon
This article first appeared in the February 2008 issue of Consumer Reports On Health.
Read more on what Americans pay for drugs, and on how to save money on prescription drugs.
Posted by: Heather Roe | May 21, 2008 12:22:41 PM
I know this kind of thing is rampant unforntunately. Recently
my MS became very much worse, my doctor wanted me to go on a new drug on the market for MS Treatment. He had mentioned it several
times previously and I wonder if that was one of those kind of
drugs. But, I do trust my Doctor! However, this drug killed three
people in clinical trials. I had to sign a contract that I was fully aware that this could kill me, just alittle mind bending
when you have as many illnesses and take has many drugs as I do.
However, after some condiderable thought and attending a particular seminar,I decided to go with it!!! I haven't started yet but, I'm okay with it. When I lived in San Diego I attended a
seminar from a drug company that had a Buffet and open bar - I'm
only a patient, I realize after being a sales person all my life the market is very competitive but, I
thought what a a waste of money!! They could be dreasing the price we all had MS our doctors should be the ones to be telling us about this, But, then of course we hit the major obstacle
the INSURANCE Companies, who give them 20mins to see a patient!!!
The INSURANCE companies act like GOD!!! A no win situation, they
are not my Doctor, certainly no nothing about my case!!!!
Thank You for Your Attention!