MOST docs (apologies to those who are not) ARE drug pushers....BUT...that’s what they are TRAINED to do!
I work in an outpatient clinic at a large rural medical center. It’s been at least 5 years since we’ve had samples, and the docs consistently prescribe meds that are most appropriate, rather than ones that the drug rep was just in selling. As a matter of fact, we rarely get any drug reps in anymore.
“$35 Mil in Payments To Doctors, Hospitals For Research And Promotion”
$35 Million is nothing. No big deal.
Huh? Yeah, those evil doctors and bigger evil drug companies! You DO know you’re on FreeRepublic, right?
If you had a clue as to what pharma companies MUST go through to get patients and physicians to test (i.e., phase 1 and phase 2 clinical trials) new drugs, you would not begrudge them this effort or these monies.
FWIW, I do NOT work for a pharma.
Docs tend to prescribe what they have always prescribed, and what other docs recommend. Less than 50% even see a drug rep anymore. Many teaching hospitals are officially “pharma free” except for paid ‘scientific leaders.’
They (pharma) are in business to make money by discovering AND MARKETING compounds that preserve and improve human health. They do NOT owe their value to us for free.
Just my opinion
A very large fraction of recent pharmaceutical products seem to be more dangerous via side-effects than the problems they are supposed to address.
You don't have any idea why you leave the doctors office with a handful of prescription medicine. When was the last time a doc gave you more than one sample (yes, it's a sample and not a prescription) of different drugs for whatever it is that ails you? Yeah, I thought so. You're gonna love what Obama has in store for you and big, bad pharma.
I really don’t like the big pharma gang. Spent to much time dealing with them to trust them much.