tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550428.post113836789450746700..comments2024-03-27T01:34:23.434-04:00Comments on Pharma Marketing Blog: Gifts That Keep on GivingVladhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04114063498108633047noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8550428.post-1140804264204662852006-02-24T13:04:00.000-05:002006-02-24T13:04:00.000-05:00AMA board chair, Dr. Duane M. Cady, commented on t...AMA board chair, Dr. Duane M. Cady, commented on the JAMA article saying, "Drug and medical device makers can play a role in educating physicians about new products." The argument almost leaves the impression that the tens of billions of dollars the drug industry spends annually should be thought of as some kind of public education expense. <BR/>Fine, but the drug company sales reps are measured by their performance – and not by giving doctors a pop quiz to determine their level of education after the drug company “educator” has made an educational visit. Here’s an example: drug reps pushing Nexium – and doctors prescribing it – when there’s an alternative available for a fraction of the cost over the counter. Another: drug companies getting doctors to prescribe Vioxx in huge numbers, though the drug was likely appropriate for a much smaller population of people with severe arthritis and gastrointestinal bleeding. <BR/>Who doesn't have great respect for physicians -- they do a difficult job that requires constantly aquiring the newest information. But they’re only people – and doctors seem to recognize the effect that gift-laden education has. According to the Times: "Surveys show that most doctors do not believe that these gifts influence their medical decisions, although most believe that they do affect their colleagues' medical judgment."<BR/>Read more: http://www.consumersunion.org/scribbler/health_care/003095.htmlAnonymousnoreply@blogger.com