Comments on: Massachusetts Wants To Ban Gifts To Docs http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/03/massachusetts-wants-to-ban-gifts-to-docs/ News, Comment and Conversation Fri, 25 Jul 2008 14:20:41 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5.1 By: Albert Camus http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/03/massachusetts-wants-to-ban-gifts-to-docs/#comment-204619 Albert Camus Tue, 11 Mar 2008 23:16:07 +0000 http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/03/massachusetts-wants-to-ban-gifts-to-docs/#comment-204619 About time! It's good to see an end to the moneyed interests in our health care. Pharma sales is still a big business, but at least the end of payola could help put us on the right track. I read another study today that places the costs of prescriptions far-and-ahead of the War in Iraq (the article is at http://www.health-insurance.org/prescription-drugs-vs-iraq-war ). Everybody on the news is talking about the costs of war. The true costs is right in our own pills. About time! It’s good to see an end to the moneyed interests in our health care. Pharma sales is still a big business, but at least the end of payola could help put us on the right track. I read another study today that places the costs of prescriptions far-and-ahead of the War in Iraq (the article is at http://www.health-insurance.org/prescription-drugs-vs-iraq-war ). Everybody on the news is talking about the costs of war. The true costs is right in our own pills.

]]> By: WBP http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/03/massachusetts-wants-to-ban-gifts-to-docs/#comment-188904 WBP Tue, 04 Mar 2008 18:11:04 +0000 http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/03/massachusetts-wants-to-ban-gifts-to-docs/#comment-188904 It's about time that somebody started to track these gifts. Unfortunately, way too many of them are so well hidden that nobody will ever find them. Much more substantial is the cash that pharma pays to docs to give "talks", consult, advise, etc. It's disgusting the way this industry conducts its' business. All they focus on is making more money! It’s about time that somebody started to track these gifts. Unfortunately, way too many of them are so well hidden that nobody will ever find them. Much more substantial is the cash that pharma pays to docs to give “talks”, consult, advise, etc. It’s disgusting the way this industry conducts its’ business. All they focus on is making more money!

]]> By: Former pharma Marketing Exec http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/03/massachusetts-wants-to-ban-gifts-to-docs/#comment-188783 Former pharma Marketing Exec Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:59:05 +0000 http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/03/massachusetts-wants-to-ban-gifts-to-docs/#comment-188783 This is a step in the right direction. It will be interesting to see what gets classified as gifts. As for the last statement “We are concerned about any measures, such as bans on interactions with physicians, which could negatively impact information flow to practitioners and ultimately hurt patient care,” A cleaver statement but without bases of any sort. Information flow to physicians in the name of CME is a standard guise to market the product, the entire statement is a bit of an oxymoron. Give the doctors the study without the interpretation of the marketing department (which is what most CME is). The doctors are usually smart enough to figure it out for themselves. Is it just me or does anyone find it so amazing that doctors go through so many years of schooling and then rack up so many years of practice in order to be told what to think and do by the MBA in the marketing department? There were many times when we knew that they knew we were blatantly marketing to them. But, they enjoyed the ride anyway, and who is going to turn down a freebie? The biggest part of the budget was spent on AD Boards (Dear doctor come join us for 3 days in paradise and teach us how to sell this drug - we cover the cost). Most of those functions are really just schmooze fests.. Sure hope the senate can stay the course and make this a truly effective bill. What a great opportunity for change... This is a step in the right direction. It will be interesting to see what gets classified as gifts.

As for the last statement “We are concerned about any measures, such as bans on interactions with physicians, which could negatively impact information flow to practitioners and ultimately hurt patient care,” A cleaver statement but without bases of any sort. Information flow to physicians in the name of CME is a standard guise to market the product, the entire statement is a bit of an oxymoron.

Give the doctors the study without the interpretation of the marketing department (which is what most CME is). The doctors are usually smart enough to figure it out for
themselves.

Is it just me or does anyone find it so amazing that doctors go through so many years of schooling and then rack up so many years of practice in order to be told what to think and do by the MBA in the marketing department? There were many times when we knew that they knew we were blatantly marketing to them. But, they enjoyed the ride anyway, and who is going to turn down a freebie?

The biggest part of the budget was spent on AD Boards (Dear doctor come join us for 3 days in paradise and teach us how to sell this drug - we cover the cost). Most of those functions are really just schmooze fests..

Sure hope the senate can stay the course and make this a truly effective bill. What a great opportunity for change…

]]> By: Justice in Michigan http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/03/massachusetts-wants-to-ban-gifts-to-docs/#comment-188726 Justice in Michigan Tue, 04 Mar 2008 15:24:17 +0000 http://www.pharmalot.com/2008/03/massachusetts-wants-to-ban-gifts-to-docs/#comment-188726 Given the creativity of gifts that Ed has sometimes exhibited, it will certainly be difficult to distinguish between trinkets large and small, and "cme" in some broad sense or other (depending on who is arguing the case). Given the creativity of gifts that Ed has sometimes exhibited, it will certainly be difficult to distinguish between trinkets large and small, and “cme” in some broad sense or other (depending on who is arguing the case).

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