Drugmakers hold too much influence over doctors' decisions, public says
Particularly alarming to patients are physicians who get paid to pitch drugs in ads.
By KEVIN B. O'REILLY, amednews staff. Posted Sept. 13, 2010.
How relationships with industry may influence physician decisions is not just a concern limited to Capitol Hill or medical ethics committees. A new poll found that 69% of patients say they believe drugmakers hold too much sway over doctors' prescribing.
Nearly half of the 1,154 adults surveyed nationwide said physicians' prescribing decisions are influenced by gifts from drugmakers, according to poll results released in August. A third of patients were so worried about pharmaceutical marketing that they felt they could not rely on their doctors' medication advice.
"Physicians should know that most patients now are concerned about the drug companies influencing them," said John Santa, MD, MPH, director of the Consumer ReportsNational Research Center, which conducted the poll in May. "When they're on the phone with a patient, when they have a patient in their office -- the patient may not say it -- but they are concerned ... and they're disturbed by it."
Means of influence
A new poll says patients think drugmakers have too much impact on how physicians decide which drugs to prescribe. Patients were most concerned about companies rewarding doctors for a high prescribing percentage. Less than a third cared that doctors got free pens from drug firms.
Here are various pharmaceutical marketing techniques aimed at doctors that patients find objectionable:
81% Rewarding doctors who write a lot of prescriptions for a company's drugs
72% Paying doctors to provide testimonials or pitch for a drug
61% Paying doctors to speak at conferences
58% Buying meals for doctors and their staff
41% Providing free samples of drugs to doctors
40% Providing doctors with posters or literature featuring a company's drugs
32% Providing doctors with items such as pens or pads with a company logo
Source: "Best Buy Drugs Prescription Drug Tracking Poll 2," Consumer ReportsNational Research Center, released Aug. 24 /.../
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