Comments on: At Med Schools, It’s ‘Pharm-Free Week’ http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/10/at-med-schools-its-pharm-free-week/ News, Comment and Conversation Fri, 10 Feb 2012 19:51:12 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.6.2 By: Paul Johnson http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/10/at-med-schools-its-pharm-free-week/#comment-23100 Paul Johnson Wed, 24 Oct 2007 14:17:27 +0000 http://www.pharmalot.com/2007/10/at-med-schools-its-pharm-free-week/#comment-23100 Academic medicine and pharma are joined in more ways than by just the pizza-toting rep. Of course there is a link between the two via research projects, but there is another relationship being overlooked: take a look at the investment mix of TIAA-CREF, the investment vehicle "helping those in the academic, medical, cultural and research fields plan for and live in retirement." Go to the website below, click on "Edit", then "Find" and type in "Pharmaceuticals", and keep hitting "Next". http://www.tiaa-cref.org/pdf/reports/imf/inst_imf_soi.pdf This search finds only the companies that have "Pharmaceuticals" in their name --- but on either side of them in the category are many other pharma/biotech companies. It is not necessary here to tally the total dollar amount invested by TIAA-CREF in pharma/biotech, except to safely say it's a big number. The Pharm Free advocates have a point, but should consider offering realistic mechanisms for pharma sales people to interact with hospital personnel. As we can see, both parties are dependent on the others success in the present as well as in the future. Academic medicine and pharma are joined in more ways than by just the pizza-toting rep. Of course there is a link between the two via research projects, but there is another relationship being overlooked: take a look at the investment mix of TIAA-CREF, the investment vehicle “helping those in the academic, medical, cultural and research fields plan for and live in retirement.” Go to the website below, click on “Edit”, then “Find” and type in “Pharmaceuticals”, and keep hitting “Next”.

http://www.tiaa-cref.org/pdf/reports/imf/inst_imf_soi.pdf

This search finds only the companies that have “Pharmaceuticals” in their name — but on either side of them in the category are many other pharma/biotech companies. It is not necessary here to tally the total dollar amount invested by TIAA-CREF in pharma/biotech, except to safely say it’s a big number.

The Pharm Free advocates have a point, but should consider offering realistic mechanisms for pharma sales people to interact with hospital personnel. As we can see, both parties are dependent on the others success in the present as well as in the future.

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