Doctors and health groups shutting out pushy drug reps
It's a shame that the pharmaceutical industry is focused on sales instead of helping patients, but that is what has been happening for years now. Why on earth are drug companies advertising so much? Because -- patients tend to believe advertising (unfortunately) that promises a "quick fix".But, some doctors are getting tired of drug company sales representatives invading their offices so regularly to sell more and more information that will lead to more and more prescriptions. The drug gamut encircles drugs from cholesterol management to insomnia to depression. Name a "possible condition" and there is probably a drug for it -- one with insanely huge markups.
Will this continue? Probably not -- and hopefully the medical industry will get back to the business of healing patients with care and genuine health methodologies -- and will stop using the "cure all" drugs that promise to fix just about any condition (real or not). Pharmaceutical drug reps will most likely be looking for alternative employment if this trend of shutting them out of physician offices continues. Are you for it?
.jpg)
_thumbnail.jpg)
Cooking for one: Healthy advice for solo suppers_thumbnail.jpg)
Men vs. Women: The truth about our bodies
What to do when a craving hits
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
4-05-2007 @ 9:25PM
Ali said...
I'm all for the drug companies getting out of the Doctor's office and letting the doctors do what they were trained to do. It might also give the doctors more time to really talk with their patients and more properly diagnose what really ails them.
Reply
4-05-2007 @ 10:18PM
LJ said...
As a former pharmaceutical rep, I do agree that there are far too many reps being hired. But, there is another side to this debate. Most doctors who don't see reps fall behind in updated study data and new medical information. There is just SO much new information coming out all the time that there is no way a physician can keep up with it all. In my old territory there were some doctors who Never met with drug reps. These physicians invariably prescribed outdated drugs. This can be a really important issue because many of the older drugs have more side effects or perhaps are not as efficacious.
Reps can be a major pain inside a doctors office. But they also provide a valuable service by giving doctors summarized updates on all the latest information. There has to be some sort of middle ground that can be reached. Some doctors in my old territory would see reps only when there was new information about that reps products. I think this in an excellent idea.
Another service reps provide are free samples. I was constantly amazed at the vast quantity of drugs that would just sit in the office closet. Doctors seemed to either give them out like crazy...or not at all. So ASK your physician for samples to get you started. Most likely, they have a lot of them...just sitting there.
Reply
4-06-2007 @ 8:05AM
FFXICosmos said...
Drug reps.. ugh. As a RN, BSN and disabled person I have seen how these reps work, and I am suprised the "other" huge lobbies, the HMO/Insurance ones to be precise, are not pushing harder to get these carrion eaters OUT of doctors' offices. It is UNCONSCIONABLE how patients are now being treated, with medications rushed through the FDA for approval (the pharmaceutical lobbies have far too much influence over a process originally intended to safeguard people)... medications that are ten to hundreds of times more expensive than ones already existing that have fewer side effects. God help the chronic pain patient, who is now offered "Lyrica" a strong mind altering psychoactive medication that leaves the user practically comatose instead of inexpensive opiates with few, very minor possible side effects in nonabusing patients. That is just one example. Another would be the acid supressor meds that work great, though many people end up feeling like a hole is being drilled through their stomachs, and also lead to increased "bad" cholesterol, so you end up on yet MORE expensive medication to fight the possibly life threatening side effects of the original medication. And the examples go on and on and on...while the reps happily go from office to office, making nice little payback deals with doctors who push enough of the right medication to win a trip (carefully rendered as to be "legal") to Jamaica. The worst of these, in my mind, are the reps who push antidepressants. The US is the only developed nation that doesn't have a warning label on ALL antidepressants warning of suicide risk for ANYONE who takes the meds.. not just teens, and few doctors, especially family doctors and internists, do even close to adequate follow up on side effects the patient may not even be aware of...which is why these drugs should not be handed out like candy or as a magical fix all. I know this...my brother was placed on antidepressants because he was having a rough time being away from his children after his divorce. Well thanks to the drug I dare not mention here for fear of being sued, he will never see his children again. He killed himself last November. Needless to say, my opinion of pharma reps is not high. Doctors are perfectly able to keep up on medical research by reading their medical journals...they don't need lesser educated sharks with an agenda of their own hand picking what earthshattering new research proves THEIR medicaion is the greatest thing since sliced bread.
Reply
4-10-2007 @ 1:17PM
recovering pharmaceutical exec said...
Many of the so called "outdated" drugs perform better than the new drugs. When new druigs are approved they only need to demonstrate that they are superior to placebo, they do not need to run trials against existing products.
The pharmaceutical companies have over run our medical system and our lives. Its hard to turn on the television or radio without being bombarded with the magic cures the pharmaceutical companies tout.
Be wary when you are prescibed drugs. Check the clinical trial data available at www.clinicalstudyresults.org. Do your homework!
Reply