Patients Should Know How Much Pharmaceutical Loot Doctors Accept

Summary

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NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- When it comes to accepting gifts from the marketing reps of pharmaceutical firms, the American College of Physicians-American Society of Internal Medicine suggests that its members apply a simple litmus test: "What would the public or (our) patients think of this arrangement?"

Most patients never find out. If they did, they'd probably go into shock over the goodies doctors accept, like meals, travel, gift certificates or parties. The pharmaceutical industry estimates it spends $5.7 billion a year on marketing directly to physicians, which works out to about $6,000 to $7,000 per doctor.

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Extract

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Patients Should Know How Much Pharmaceutical Loot Doctors Accept

Three years ago, Vermont enacted a groundbreaking law intended to remedy the situation by requiring drug companies to publicly report promotional gifts and payments to physicians. As in many areas of government and business, the law was tailored with the idea that if shame alone fails to curtail excesses, at least information about gifts a...

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