How Much Are Drug Companies Really Paying Your Doctor?

[Guest guest]

"....drug companies shell out $4 billion to advertise directly to consumers

on the television and print media."

 

"...They spend 400 percent more, or HYPERLINK

" http://www.mercola.com/2006/jun/13/how_drug_companies_deceive_you.htm "$16

billion each year, to directly influence doctors. That is $10,000 for every

single physician in the United States."

 

 

HYPERLINK

" http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/How-Much-Are-Drug-Companies-Really-P

aying-Your-Doctor--8101.aspx " http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/How-Much-Are-Drug-Companies-Really-Paying-Your-Doctor--8101.aspx

 

How Much Are Drug Companies Really Paying Your Doctor?

 

 

HYPERLINK

" outbind://321-00000000E2EF0ACE6206B146989312C7F3ED737044389700/http://v.mer

cola.com/ImageServer/public/2007/03--march/3.21doctor.jpg "According to this

fascinating New York Times piece, seven legislatures have passed laws

requiring drug companies to disclose how much they've spent on the marketing

efforts in their individual states, and an accompanying Journal of the

American Medical Association study focuses on two of them (Minnesota and

Vermont).

 

Drugmakers have kept details of the payouts to health care professionals in

Vermont private, declaring them "trade secrets." But Minnesota's disclosures

are a matter of public record.

 

 

 

 

Since 1997, when the Minnesota law was passed, drug companies have paid more

than 5,500 health care workers in the state at least $57 million; more than

20 percent of the state's physicians received money, and over 100 people

received more than $100,000. Ten doctors and one dentist received more than

$500,000. Another $40 million was paid to clinics, research centers and

other organizations.

 

Psychiatrists, as a profession, received the most money, followed by doctors

who specialize in internal medicine, then cardiologists, endocrinologists

and neurologists.

 

Doctors often received payments in return for delivering lectures about

drugs to other doctors. Some sat on the committees that create nationwide

guidelines about when to use medicines; a 2002 survey actually found that

upwards of 80 percent of the doctors on such panels had financial ties to

drug makers. A small number of doctors were being paid to do research.

 

Studies have shown that doctors who have close financial ties to drug

companies tend to prescribe newer, pricier drugs, even if this is not in the

best interest of the patients. Few patients are aware of the financial

connections between the doctors prescribing drugs and the companies making

them.

 

HYPERLINK " http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/297/11/1216 "

\nJournal of the American Medical Association, Vol. 297, No. 11, March 21,

2007: 1216-1223

HYPERLINK

" http://v.mercola.com/blogs/public_blog/How-Much-Are-Drug-Companies-Really-Paying-Your-Doctor--8101.aspx " \n

HYPERLINK " http://www.nytimes.com/2007/03/21/us/21drug.html " \nNew York

Times March 21, 2007 (Registration Required)

 

HYPERLINK

" http://www.tuscaloosanews.com/article/20070321/ZNYT04/703210368/1005/SPORTS0106 " \nTuscaloosa News.com March 21, 2007

 

 

 

 

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

 

 

 

In the United States as a whole, drug companies shell out $4 billion to

advertise directly to consumers on the television and print media. But that

is small potatoes when it comes to what they spend on marketing to

physicians to spread their message that drugs are the answer to all health

care problems.

 

They spend 400 percent more, or HYPERLINK

"http://www.mercola.com/2006/jun/13/how_drug_companies_deceive_you.htm"$16

billion each year, to directly influence doctors. That is $10,000 for every

single physician in the United States. In reality, the average amount is

even somewhat higher, since they don't bother to spend much money on doctors

who practice natural medicine and won't prescribe their toxic drugs.

 

I can assure you they haven't spent a wooden nickel on me this century, as I

stopped seeing drug reps in the last century.

 

Why do they spend so much?

 

Please understand that drug companies are not stupid. Like any smart

corporation they invest in this marketing because it works.

 

They make far more money as a result of their $16-billion investment in

physician marketing. A Harvard Business School professional quoted in the

Times echoed my exact sentiments about the all-too-cozy relationship between

the drug companies and practitioners of conventional medicine:

 

"A doctor who represents a pharmaceutical company will tend to see the data

in a slightly more positive light and as a result will overprescribe that

company's drugs. When honest human beings have a vested stake in seeing the

world in a particular way, they're incapable of objectivity and

independence."

 

The same rationale also applies, unfortunately, to the sad state of drug

safety in America, often trumped by ridiculous marketing ploys like

HYPERLINK

" http://www.mercola.com/2006/sep/2/free_drug_giveaways_marketing_trumps_safety.htm "giveaways and, when all else fails, the low art of HYPERLINK

" http://www.mercola.com/2005/sep/20/new_diseases_that_keep_drug_companies_rolling.htm

"disease mongering .

 

Meanwhile, the sad fact of the matter is, most of the drugs being prescribed

by these compromised doctors are useless at best and outright dangerous at

worst. And don't expect the HYPERLINK

" http://www.mercola.com/2006/jun/15/how_can_the_fda_ever_improve_drug_safety.htm "hobbled, seriously compromised FDA to ever take on the drug companies.

Remember, as it's currently configured, the HYPERLINK

" http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/23/fda_drugs.htm "FDA works in the best

interests of the multi-national drug manufacturers, and not you!

 

 

 

Related Articles:

 

 

 

HYPERLINK " http://www.mercola.com/2003/jun/14/conflict_interest.htm "Conflict

of Interests Between Doctors and Drug Companies

 

HYPERLINK " http://www.mercola.com/2005/mar/2/vioxx_fda.htm "Vioxx Reapproved

by FDA Panel Members With Ties to Drug Companies

 

HYPERLINK

" http://www.mercola.com/2006/jul/27/more_despicable_corruption_in_published_studies.htm "More Despicable Corruption in Published Studies