A rant!

[Ohio Buckeye]

I used to work a temporary job at a dr. office and the drug reps were always coming in
with lunch, etc.  The way drug reps cater to drs. is a crime.  I'd rather pay less for
pres.  When you think of how many doctors offices there are and they are probably
catering to all of them, that would be a lot of money.  No wonder are pres. cost
so much.  I have a friend who works at a medical office and the drug reps are always
doing lunch or something there.  It is such a racket!

[paris]

My brothers wife works at an OSU medical center and she is always talking about the food the reps bring in.  Catered from big restaurants, hosting luncheons.etc. And she gets free prescribtions!   Something is really messed up with that system.   I know my nephs office had lunches from reps about 3 times a week. Hmmmm-doesn't seem right.

[LightLizard]

that's so true. its really evil how they suck up to doctors. here in canada, quite often the pharmacueutical companies check out when a doctor has graduated and is ready to hang up a shingle of their own. the doctor arrives at his new office and it has been decorated with pictures on the walls, desks and waiting-room furniture, all supplied by the drug companies, kissing butt.
not to mention the free 'samples' of the drugs they supply the doctors with. drugs that have barely been tested in the 'field', i might add!
early on, when i was diagnosed with kidney problems, i had been carrying 65 pounds of fluid in my stomach and legs. the 'specialist' (an endoctrinologist) gave me a drug to take off the fluid.
my wife read the papers that came with the drug and it said 'may be fatal for people with kidney problems.' how cool. i phoned him up and asked him about it. he said, ' well, let's put that drug on the back burner.'
luckily, he couldn't figure out my problem's cause, so he referred me to my current nephrologist.
i don't miss that one, at all.

[Ohio Buckeye]

It really irritates me that they spend all these $$$ for lunches, dinners, etc. and we
pay al this money for pres.  It should come to an end.  I think I will write to someone
about it.

[Ohio Buckeye]

Yeah, LL, my friend works in a medical bldg., and they have a new doc.
coming on board Tues. and Tues. eve. a drug rep. is taking them all out to
dinner in honr of the new doc. 

[Hawkeye]

Drug reps are horrible like that.  They figure the more they give you and pamper you the more likely you are to use their product instead of a competitors.  Fresenius has policies against such treatment, not that they really get followed.  Mostly though the only time the drug reps are allowed to buy us lunch is if they have an in-service to give us about a drug that we are currently using, not to introduce a drug they want us to use.

[paddbear0000]

I wouldn't be so quick to bash the reps. My best friend is a drug rep. She hates it, but it pays the bills and it's the only thing she knows how to do since that's what she's done since the first day she ever worked. It's the companies themselves that are to blame. They pay for the food, etc. and demand the reps schmooze the doctors. The reps have to meet a quota, and if they don't make a certain number of phone calls or go to a certain number of doctor's offices and pharmacies a day (and the number is ridiculous!), they are fired. At every company she's worked for, the reps are made to work long, stressful hours, while the managers work shortened days and are like slave drivers. My friend's boss even has her and her fellow reps followed to make sure they call on all th edoctors & pharmacies that they're supposed to (I've gone out on "calls" with her a few times and have seen it)!

I have, in the past, reaped the benefits of the drug reps tho. When I used to have no insurance, my doctor would always give me samples so I wouldn't have to pay for them at the pharmacy. And I still do to this day. Those samples come form drug reps, so they're not all that bad.

[kidney4traci]

I's sorry, but I have to side with the others, drug reps are bad.  They are a bad influence to the MD's , who are stupid enough to be sucked in and go with whatever the drug rep is offerreing as the drug of the week.  And the drug rep is just a sales person, they only care about the numbers, in no way do they care about the health of whomever is getting the drugs.  If they did, they wouldn't be a drug pusher, I mean salesman, oh I mean rep.  They even push doctors to get their patients on drugs that aren't fully tested ot even worse that they know are killing people.  Just not killing enough people to pull off the shelves yet, since they are making a butt load of money.  The big pharma companies are satan in disguise.  And the drug rep are their their minions.

[paris]

It isn't the actual drug rep--they are doing their job.  It is the companies that could be doing so much more with the money than buy lunches.  I think free samples are a big help.  A man at my nephs office gets free Hectoral caps because he can't afford the presc.  The doctors decide who they give the samples to. I have had some when he wanted to see if a new drug would work for me, but didn't want me  to have to get a 3 month presc to try it.    Somehow the drug companies need to realize that more money needs to  go to helping people who can't afford their drugs and less into free lunches. 

[LightLizard]

well, it seems that politics has invaded the medical profession, too.
 

[Ohio Buckeye]

I think the samples are a good thing.
When one gets a new prescription it is always a good thing if a sample
is available to the patient to try to see if it works well for them or that
they are not allergic to it before they go out and buy a full prescription
of it.  But I'm not talking samples so much as the free lunches, dinners, etc.
I think that should stop.  It's the drug companies, the way they spend the
money like that and then the price of some prescrptions are outrageous!

[Hawkeye]

well, it seems that politics has invaded the medical profession, too.
 

IT HAS!!!! 

[Black]

When my stepson first started calling on docs as a drug rep he quickly found that there were some docs who would not see him unless he was going to take them out for an expensive lunch, or the doc and spouse for expensive dinner, or treat the entire office to catered lunch, or take the doc golfing on the weekend.  When they found he would not blow a lot of $$$ on them, they weren't interested in seeing him.  Those docs still got a courtesy call, the office staff would say, "Sorry, he's too busy today.", he would leave some brochures or other paperwork and/or some samples, and he moved on to the docs who were really interested in information on his medications and getting the best for their patients (and yes, he did occasionally buy them lunch or dinner).  So don't blame the reps only; most of the docs don't turn down the payola and some demand it in order to get access.

My stepson has been promoted a couple of times.  He still loves his job and believes he is helping bring better and cheaper medications to patients and helping the medical community provide better care.  His company has a program which provides many of thousands of patients, who do not have insurance, discounted and free medications.

http://www.pfizer.com/about/patient_assistance_programs.jsp

[kidney4traci]

I am always happy to hear that one finds fulfillment in their jobs, too many don't.  However, I would like to see people in general look toward non-drug methods to get healthy first.  Majority go to the MD first and then start chasing one problem after another with one drug after another. 
Most drug companies offer this to people who are struggling financially.  I personally believe it is a way to publically show they "care".  But again, drug companies don't care about our health, they care about the bottom line.  Profit only.  Drug reps may get in thinking they can help the public, but end up being part of a huge problem. 

Here are some interesting facts:

There is 1 drug rep for every 4 drs in our country

Present doctors with confusing and mostly unfounded research - junk science
         Ex.: just like vioxx reps knew about heart problems in 1999 and lied to md's until pulled off market in 2005!  6 years of more people dying until they made enough profit that paying off a lawsuit didn't hurt the company ( never mind the bodies that pilled up)

Sales reps never took an oath to save anyone's life

Have you ever met an ugly drug rep?

Offer confusing and unehtical incentives to your MD to prescribe their drug like trips, restaraunts, free equipment and more.

We are 5% of the world and take 85% of the drugs. If drugs restored health then why is the number one cause of death in the US our health care system? The philosophy is simply wrong.

Is it a blessing to get a free drug that harms you?

[Ohio Buckeye]

I just think it is a form of bribery that is being used and it should not all
depend on who buys the lunches, dinners and gifts, etc. that shouldn't
even be allowed. 

[st789]

WTF ....then I am not surprised of how the cozy relationship between the dr. and the sale reps.  If you rub my back, then I rub your back.  My neph. looks so at ease every time he writes a pres. for me.  Damn him.......