Pharmaceutical Drug Companies and Physicians

A national survey was recently released, showing that most doctors in the United States have some sort of relationship with various pharmaceutical drug companies. According to this survey, 94% of practicing physicians report having a relationship with these companies. These relationships are usually forged through contact with sales representatives, who make frequent visits to doctors' offices, for the purpose of promoting the company's drugs.

While many of the "perks" that doctors receive from pharmaceutical companies, are merely free drug samples and food in the workplace, companies have been known to take enrichment to the next level. Doctors receive cash for consulting work, speeches, or board memberships, as well as tickets to entertainment events, and paid travel.

Drug companies making use of large sales forces, to periodically drop by doctors' offices and promote the latest pharmaceutical lab creation, is nothing new. However the purpose of the recently conducted survey, done on April 25 2007, and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, was to make an attempt at measuring the extent of these relationships between manufacturers and physicians.

The study researcher, Eric G. Campbell, PhD, maintains that the main purpose of the survey is specifically to try and determine how these financial and gift relationships affect doctors' prescribing judgment. There is no doubt that these relationships benefit the drug companies, as well as physicians, but how do they affect the patients?

The fact of the matter is that gifts are the norm. Included in the survey were 1,662 doctors, of which 8 in 10 confirmed receiving free drug samples as well as workplace food, repeatedly, from several companies. In addition, 3 in 10 doctors acknowledged receiving cash payments for consulting, promotional speeches, or serving on advisory boards. An average of 1in 7 said that drug companies habitually reimburse them for travel, food or lodging, and sometimes all three, when they go to "continuing medical education" seminars, which are held in upscale hotels, at prestigious vacation spots.