July 10, 2008 - 5:51pm
"Drug company sales representatives will have to stop doling out coffee mugs and pens that push their products when they visit doctor's offices. But they can still sneak in the occasional free lunch."
Thank goodness!! No more pens, coffee cups, sticky notes, and paper clips that I do not need cluttering up the office!
July 11, 2008 - 12:33am
#2
I love all those little
I love all those little things! We don't get too many in the office, but we get enough to where we don't need to ever buy post-it notes, lol. At my school we don't have drug reps, but we have different businesses come and do fairs for different reasons. When they come in there are usually about 20 at a time. they give out all the little freebies too and I love it! I never have to buy pens during the year cause whn they are there I just go around with a bag and stock up. We get all kinds of things from pens, sharpies, mugs, to cd and monitor screen cleaners, key chains, calculators, and other little school items that come in handy that I would not otherwise go out and buy.
I'm a social worker, not a medical professional. All comments and thoughts are simply my opinion and experience.
July 11, 2008 - 4:06pm
#3
The new standard came from
The new standard came from the pharmaceutical industry itself. Here is the link to the article: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080711/ap_on_bi_ge/pharma_ethics_rules
July 11, 2008 - 4:18pm
#4
We will still get plenty of
We will still get plenty of stuff from the home health care agencies, labs, imaging centers, etc.
July 11, 2008 - 4:22pm
#5
Well this is just a needle
Well this is just a needle in a haystack. What needs to be cut down on are the pharm lobbyists on the hill. That is really where the power for the drug companies are The drug companies from what I hear have a 20 yr patent up from a 17 year patent. Soon it will be 25 yrs,I understand that the drug companies have to recoup their R&D and advertisements but take Oxycontin for instance. I forget how much Perdue Pharm has made from their Oxycontin but it is a huge amount,many millions over what their expenses were. I see nothing changing soon.
July 11, 2008 - 6:24pm
#6
Exactily gcdylan
It costs about 50 cents for the active ingredient in OxyContin but then they charge over $300 for 60 pills. Its ridiculous!! Like $5 bucks per pill.
July 12, 2008 - 10:27am
#7
Drug companies must be
Drug companies must be profitable in order to keep churning out new life-saving drugs for us. If you think the drug companies are making too much money, buy stock in them so you can get your cut in the action. R and D costs are staggering, and many drugs never even see clinical trials, let alone FDA approval. And profits from oxy-contin help support research on drugs for uncommon diseases which because of the low potential sales volume, may never be very profitable.
The insurance companies go to battle with the pharmaceutical companies to keep drug prices reasonable (at least for people with insurance). I would not oppose having the government step in and demand better prices on one-of-a-kind, critical, medically necessary drugs for the uninsured, however oxy-contin is not one of these critical drugs. There are a variety of less expensive generic narcotic options out there.
July 12, 2008 - 4:01pm
#8
It's not just the pharm
It's not just the pharm lobbyists that need to be cut down it's lobbying in general. These people are the scum of the Earth.
If you want to get to the root of the problems in America one should start there. While it is not illegal (Not yet) it certainly is immoral.
February 27, 2009 - 8:34pm
#9
I have to agree, I love all
I have to agree, I love all those little trinkets. Booooo to pharamceutical companies. Your profit is large enough you can't break us off some trinkets.
April 3, 2009 - 10:41pm
#10
in regards to drug sales reps.
seems like everytime i go to clinic i see at least 2 reps, awaiting to see the Dr. i can understand to some degree because the reps. gives samples out to help with the uninsured, but i wish all clinics would set 1 day that all sales reps could come in an see dr at 1 time, set aside like 1 hour an just get it done so pateints does nt have to wait, tell drug reps. if they don t have mugs they can leave a breif case of coupons for help filling prescritions as these would be tax deductible anyway, an they then can take you to red lobster to ponder the matter.
April 4, 2009 - 12:20am
#11
1 of my Rx runs at 300 dollars!
One of my Rx runs at $300................
Got it with a coupon, that's why it was, Yes, CHEAPER! Shewt it was only like 3 or 4 tablets for 300 bucks & that was w/ a manufacturer's coupon!!!
April 5, 2009 - 9:09am
#12
Med costs
My monthly prescription costs are 2014.29...That's my out of pocket expense. The majority of that though is the HIV drugs. They are very costly...one bottle is 1250.00 and the other is 550.00 and then the rest are other drugs that i just pay copays (or a much smaller amount), though the part "d" coverage I have....
Ray
April 5, 2009 - 1:11pm
#13
Give me a break
back to the OP, were physicians mandated by law to accept all of these "freebies," prior to new legislation? Did they not have the option to refuse the reps.' trinkets?
Sheeesh...
April 5, 2009 - 1:19pm
#14
Samples are NOT
"to help with the uninsured." Are you kidding??!??!?!? They're another means of pushing a drug that the pharma. co. NEEDS to turn a profit on. If the reps. don't work themselves to the bone sucking up to MD's, heads roll.
P.S. Another (minor) reason your medicines are all so expensive are the money that get spent producing trinkets for Dr.s. Good to know Dr.'s have boxes upon boxes of cute merchandise while many of use can't afford our medicine.
This is an example of capitalism @ it's finest!
EDIT MOD X
April 5, 2009 - 3:17pm
#15
I kinda liked the pens
I kinda liked the pens from the reps. Working the front dest at a large office, I would tease the reps that I wouldn't let them in unless the came with pens. it seems as if every person who signed in or signed a form felt that they could take my pens. I never had enought, and I didn't fell that we needed to buy them so everyone could take them. So to keep prices down for my docs. I required pens. I'm sorry they aren't able to do them anymore. I will say tho that the lunches were great. We could only have them twice a month, but boy were they good.
April 5, 2009 - 10:31pm
#16
FeliksD I am just wondering
FeliksD I am just wondering if you are against capitalizm? Hopefully you arent because that is what made America such a successful and wealthy country.
April 5, 2009 - 11:57pm
#17
the pens, pads, and paper
the pens, pads, and paper clips cost pennies compared to the other perks pharma reps were providing. Some drug reps were giving away weekend get aways for conferences. It ways very big in the 1990's, gift-giving was almost a pharmaceutical race with trips to Palm Springs to listen to a speaker. These types of gifts were the issue, moreover than the pens.
July 8, 2009 - 10:21pm
#18
I don't know why for but my
I don't know why for but my doctor told me that they weren't even going to kick him down some samples of Nucynta, and he is a PM doc; go figure.
July 8, 2009 - 11:23pm
#19
spence
Since you ask; yes, yes I am. I am from a Eastern Bloc nation, and have been on both sides of the "curtain."
I'm a Socialist. I'm just biding my time in this wonderful country temporarily. I don't disrespect anyone here, or their beliefs.
By the way, Capitalism did make the United States is a great and powerful nation- at the expense of millions of people who were/ are exploited.
Also, keep in mind that the U.S. is but one nation. And if you ask me, it's "time in the sun" is waning...I travel abroad quite often, and the United States and it's problems are the laughing stock of the entire world at present time.
Look at the state of medical care, and all of the rants and raves about medical issues/ medication.
Alot of the immediate problems facing chronic pain patients stem ONE MAN who benefited immensly from the capitalist system (Mr. Jackson.) One man who sang and danced, and then overdosed. Now the government of the country he lived in sends it's federal agencies on a witch hunt, as if they need to find some kind of scapegoat (for his death.) They're sending the average patient into a panic. It's silly if you ask me.
Have a nice evening.
July 9, 2009 - 10:23am
#20
Just curious of who is still
Just curious of who is still being exploited today from capitalism. No offence to your beliefs but how many countries do you know of that have had success with socialism....None if I remember correctly. My dad travels a good deal to the UK and has seen what socialism has done to the country. Noone works!! And to be quite honest I wouldnt either if I didnt have to and still made the same amount of money that my hard working neighbor made. Capitalism has its flaws but the amount of money you make is based on how much and hard you work. If you dont work, you wont get paid.
July 9, 2009 - 10:48am
#21
Well, besides you and I,
look at the label at that shirt you're wearing. Some child in Asia got paid .0001 of a cent to produce it, and you bought it for 20 bucks. He sure didn't see the 20 bucks. Get the picture?
As for Socialism, France is a GREAT example of socialism's benefits. Some other countries like Canada, Britian, and Australia borrow certain ideas from socialism, (i.e. "socialized medicine,") and have few problems.
I don't know what you're referring to regarding the U.K; Britian is NOT a socialist nation. And I've been there several times myself. Unemployment rates are low.
I don't have time for a debate, but let me ask you this. What do you think about a doctor who saves lives on a daily basis getting paid between 10-30 times less than an athelete who runs, jumps and throws a ball in a hoop?
In socialist countries, people work for the good of the nation, not for their own good. Believe it or not, people are not inherently lazy. That's a rebuttal the capitalist fat cats like to spew forth.
Most Americans don't even know what socialism means. People are afraid of/ against things they know nothing about.
You're right. Every political system has it's flaws.
August 23, 2009 - 1:57pm
#22
Samples are NOT "to help with
Samples are NOT
"to help with the uninsured." Are you kidding??!??!?!? They're another means of pushing a drug that the pharma. co. NEEDS to turn a profit on. If the reps. don't work themselves to the bone sucking up to MD's, heads roll.
P.S. Another (minor) reason your medicines are all so expensive are the money that get spent producing trinkets for Dr.s. Good to know Dr.'s have boxes upon boxes of cute merchandise while many of use can't afford our medicine.
This is an example of capitalism @ it's finest!
You are right, Feliks, I have to agree with you. I work for a neurologist and we (the staff) try our best to give out lots of samples to the needy, but it really doesn't help because, once they are out of the samples, even if it worked for them, they won't be able to continue to take it anyway due to the cost. The reps/drug co's have a way to track what prescriptions doctors are writing for. So even if we hand out lots of samples with a written script, if the RX's aren't filled, then obviously the drug co's haven't made any money. They will only give out samples for so long without "reimbursement" and then they will stop giving them to you. So we can't keep supplying patients indefinitely (unfortunately 
)
As others have said, I have to admit that I've always appreciated the pens and calendars and stickies and stuff. A few years ago, when drug co's were more generous (or maybe it was law? Not sure. It was around the time that they weren't allowed to pay for trips and dinners for doctors anymore, so maybe that was it) they used to give out bigger "gifts" like clocks and stuff. I still have a few of the clocks in my home, I love them. But again, you are right, Feliks about the cost of these "trinkets" as you call them, contributing somewhat to the high cost of drugs. And if, in some way, stopping these "gifts" would impact the cost of drugs, I would have given them up in a minute. I tell my patients all the time, if I was Queen no one would ever have to pay for their prescriptions!
Where did this info come from? Is it a new law that says the drug companies cant do it or just one of the drug companies new policy