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September 5, 2008 11:13:38 PM CDT

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More Docs Just Say No to Pharma Reps

Posted Oct 23, 07 3:06 PM CDT in US,  Science & Health 

(Newser) – More doctors, hospitals, and medical schools are limiting or barring visits from drug-company reps as the calls become more frequent and concerns grow that they may influence prescribing. An organization of doctors who pledge not to welcome pharma reps has only 800 members, but institutional players—including some states—are taking steps to restrict marketing, Newsweek reports.

Experts say even free pens and lunches may make physicians feel obligated—and free samples can create brand preferences among doctors and patients alike. And the priciest drugs are the ones being offered in samples, potentially hiking consumer costs. Big Pharma defends its efforts—$23 billion went toward physician marketing in 2004—as educational, but critics say the information is available elsewhere.

Source Newsweek

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Assorted Pills   (Archive Photos)
Vioxx is arranged on a counting tray, laying on top of the botttle, at The Pennington Apothecary in Pennington, N.J., in this Sept. 30, 2004 file photo. Three years after Merck & Co. pulled its blockbuster...   (Associated Press)
Dr. Bob Goodman, a general internist practicing in New York City, founded No Free Lunch, a group of health care providers who believe that pharmaceuticals promotions should not guide clinical practice   (KRT Photos)
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drugs  • doctor  • marketing  • pharmaceutical companies  • consumer prices


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