There I go again – reading the Washington Post… and what did I find? An article about a topic I am very interested in. Drug Companies and their relationships with physicians. Read here:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/04/28/AR2007042800896.html
The author, Christopher Lee, writes about a recently published study in the New England Journal of Medicine, which reflects 94 percent of doctors have some type of relationship with the drug industry, which “most commonly” means they are “accepting free food or drug samples, which about 80 percent of physicians did.” The study and Mr. Lee’s article reflect that more than “one-third of the 1,662 physicians who responded to a survey conducted from November 2003 to June 2004 reported being reimbursed by the drug industry for costs of going to professional meetings or continuing medical education, and 28 percent said they had been paid for consulting, giving lectures or signing up patients for clinical trials.”
Well, I don’t mind the samples or FREE pens – IF the physicians are able to make independent decisions about medications and individual patients. But if you have just had lunch with the Avonex folks, will you think that maybe Rebif is better for your MS Patient? Thats my only concern.