Drug Companies do their Best to Influence Your Doctor

Dan Frith

Contributor

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Is there anyone who has not been to their doctor's office and observed note pads and pens with some version of Big Pharma printed in big letters across the pad or pen? Ever receive a "free sample" of a medication? I bet you have and all of these are an example of a serious problem with the relationship between the pharmaceutical industry and the medical profession.

Drug companies pay doctors for speaking, consulting, and research and do so in order to inject bias information into the physician - patient relationship. Want to know who the best looking man or woman is waiting in your doctor's office? It's the drug company representative - and they are not hired because of their in-depth knowledge of chemistry! They are meeting with the doctor to provide a one-sided position statement on why their company's drug is the best....and to leave some parting gifts which might include lunch for the entire staff, tickets to a ball game or concert, and just a few free samples of the latest and greatest (and also the most expensive) drug!

Don't believe me because I'm a lawyer....well read what these doctor organizations have to say:

o National Physicians Alliance
o Physicians for Clinical Responsibility
o No Free Lunch
o Public Citizens' Health Research Group

Come on Congress...stop this abuse!