How Drug Reps Make Friends and Influence Doctors

[Brian C.]

*http://www.plosmedicine.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pmed.0040150

"In 2000, pharmaceutical companies spent more than 15.7 billion dollars on promoting prescription drugs in the United States. More than 4.8 billion dollars was spent on detailing, the one-on-one promotion of drugs to doctors by pharmaceutical sales representatives, commonly called drug reps. The average sales force expenditure for pharmaceutical companies is $875 million annually."

"While it's the doctors' job to treat patients and not to justify their actions, it's my job to constantly sway the doctors. It's a job I'm paid and trained to do. Doctors are neither trained nor paid to negotiate. Most of the time they don't even realize that's what they're doing…"

Brian.

[Allen1]

Hi there Brian,

it is pretty scary to think that so many doctors have been duped by this method over the years. Even if those drug reps were naive enough to believe in the products that they sold at first, they would undoubtedly be well aware of any harmful effects as they appeared, I am sure that the odd doctor or two would be asking if Mrs Sickperson's symptoms could have anything to do with brand X etc.

I will have to read the article again as it is one of those days where nothing sticks ie in one ear and out the other.

All the best,
Allen.

[Cat Mom2]

As "educated" as they are, they are to stupid to see what is going on and how easily they are being lead around by big pharma. Geez, it don't take a rocket scientist to figure out a companies own rep is only in their office to boost the market value of that companies stock! It is like believing a used car salesman when he tells you "this car was only driven by a little old lady and is like new!"

[sylviak]

Retrieved from:*http://www.nelm.nhs.uk/en/NeLM-Area/News/2009---May/12/Effect-of-exposure-to-small-pharmaceutical-promotional-items-on-treatment-preferences-/?query=zocor&rank=2
Reference: Arch Intern Med. 2009;169(9):887-893

According to research published in the Archives of Internal Medicine, subtle exposure to small pharmaceutical promotional items influences implicit attitudes toward marketed products among medical students.
Researchers evaluated third and fourth year medical students at two US medical schools with differing policies toward pharmaceutical marketing. Participants assigned to treatment were exposed to small branded promotional items for Lipitor® (atorvastatin) without knowledge that the exposure was part of the study. Differences in implicit (ie, unconscious) attitudes toward Lipitor and Zocor (simvastatin) in exposed and control groups with the Implicit Association Test (IAT) were measured.

According to the researchers, fourth-year students at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine exposed to Lipitor promotional items had more favourable implicit attitudes about that brand-name drug compared to the control group (IAT effect: 0.66 vs 0.47; P = 0.05), while the effect was reversed at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine (IAT effect: 0.22 vs 0.52; P = 0.002) where restrictive policies are in place limiting pharmaceutical marketing (interaction effect: P = 0.003). No significant effect was observed among third-year students.

[David Staup]

Brian,

excellant find!

I worked in medical imaging for 6 years+ starting at just around 1 year on zocor. I saw, every day, every technique described in the article,,, and more. It was at times very difficult to not start the debate right there in the customers lunch room. :)
I did, however, supply my perspective to those same customers at every oportunity :twisted: :)

David

[gotts1936]

Has anyone found out if doctor's receive a kickback on every prescription they write?
gotts