![[dr. bob]](/dr-bob-sm.gif)
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.orgShown: posts 1 to 9 of 9. This is the beginning of the thread.
Posted by Stryker88 on April 21, 2004, at 17:02:17
he does not seem like a doctor but i had this appointment today, and the funny thing is while I was in the waiting room, a group of salesmen showed up as if ready to give a sales presentation to my doctor. These two had freshly manicured hair, fancy suits, and sales packets. At that point I heard them telling the receptionist about there new Effexor Promotion. Effexor is what I am on. It was educational to see how the drugs we take get from the sales to our mouths and everyone makes a profit in between
Posted by King Vultan on April 21, 2004, at 19:28:11
In reply to my appointment today with my so-called doctor, posted by Stryker88 on April 21, 2004, at 17:02:17
> he does not seem like a doctor but i had this appointment today, and the funny thing is while I was in the waiting room, a group of salesmen showed up as if ready to give a sales presentation to my doctor. These two had freshly manicured hair, fancy suits, and sales packets. At that point I heard them telling the receptionist about there new Effexor Promotion. Effexor is what I am on. It was educational to see how the drugs we take get from the sales to our mouths and everyone makes a profit in between
I haven't seen this while waiting in the behavioral health area where I see my pdoc but have seen the drug salespeople in the area where I see my GP. Obviously, this type of activity is going on everywhere and has a huge impact on medical care and what winds up getting prescribed. I think it's the reason why you see, for instance, calcium channel blockers prescribed so much for hypertension at the same time that some doctors, such as my GP, feel that they are an expensive and ridiculous alternative to diuretics, beta blockers, and ACE inhibitors.I don't believe we can say exactly the same thing about drugs like Effexor in the psychiatric field, as this at least does have a unique method of action. I do think, however, that patients are being done a disservice by doctors unwilling to use some of the older proven technology such as tricyclics and MAOIs on a more frequent basis.
Todd
Posted by almondjoy on April 21, 2004, at 21:09:40
In reply to Re: my appointment today with my so-called doctor, posted by King Vultan on April 21, 2004, at 19:28:11
http://www.cnn.com/2004/HEALTH/04/21/hypertension.prescriptions.ap/index.html
I read this article the other day about how doctors prescribe drugs that "assertive" companies push, and if it works people continue taking it even if other meds would've been better and/or cheaper. "Assertive" companies "compromise patient care"...Really...(I can't believe they needed a study to realize it, not that docs will even pay attention)
I had a similar situation a few months ago w/ reps and Lexapro...make me wonder if i would even be on Lex if my doc didn't happen to have a cabinet full of samples to get me started on
d
Posted by Flipsactown on April 21, 2004, at 23:40:48
In reply to Re: my appointment today with my so-called doctor, posted by King Vultan on April 21, 2004, at 19:28:11
Totally agree with Todd regarding MAOIs. Thanks Todd for the site you referred me to regarding MAOIs. I have been on Nardil two weeks and my unipolar depression is already starting to lift. Also, I don't have the desire to sleep all the time just to escape my depression and I take generic Benadryl to help with the insomnia SE of Nardil. However, even the insomnia seems to be decreasing.
FST
>
> I don't believe we can say exactly the same thing about drugs like Effexor in the psychiatric field, as this at least does have a unique method of action. I do think, however, that patients are being done a disservice by doctors unwilling to use some of the older proven technology such as tricyclics and MAOIs on a more frequent basis.
>
> Todd
Posted by Bill LL on April 22, 2004, at 10:14:09
In reply to my appointment today with my so-called doctor, posted by Stryker88 on April 21, 2004, at 17:02:17
Read this article from yesterday's news. I can give you some more background info that is not in this article. Years a go, TAP artificially inflated the "Red Book" price of Lupron in order to get (trick) Medicare to pay the doctors more for giving this drug to their patients. As a result, doctors decided to do more Lupron therapy (a lot more) than the alternative treatment which is orchiectomy.
So doctors actually changed their practice patterns in response to payment increases from Medicare.
Drug Maker TAP Defends Marketing Practice
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSPublished: April 21, 2004
Filed at 3:15 p.m. ET
BOSTON (AP) -- Dinners and tickets to sporting events that a drug company gave to doctors weren't bribes, but small tokens meant to build good will so the doctors would prescribe its drugs, lawyers argued Wednesday.
Eleven current and former executives and sales managers at Lake Forest, Ill.-based TAP Pharmaceutical Products are charged with giving bribes and kickbacks to doctors to boost the sales of TAP's prostate cancer drug, Lupron, and its heartburn drug, Prevacid.
Prosecutors say the employees conspired to defraud the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs by urging doctors to bill the government for free samples of their drugs.They also claim the TAP employees lavished doctors with trips to golf and ski resorts, expensive dinners and other incentives to get them to prescribe their drugs.
But in court Wednesday, defense lawyers said in opening statements that the TAP employees offered gifts only to ``build good will'' with doctors, and never suggested that they bill the government for free drug samples.
Robert Sherman, an attorney for Donna Tom, a district sales manager for TAP from 1997 to 1999, showed the jury a memo in which one of Tom's sales staff described taking a doctor and his son to a Yankees game.
``That, ladies and gentlemen, the government says is a kickback,'' Sherman said in his opening statement.
``Everything that was provided to doctors was done to build good will ... the way it's done in every industry,'' he said.
The case is being closely watched by the drug industry and the medical profession, which have both been criticized in recent years for giving and receiving gifts. Critics say that drives up the already high costs of prescription drugs and erodes public confidence in doctors.
The trial is expected to last six months.
Posted by Stryker88 on April 22, 2004, at 16:18:21
In reply to Re: my appointment today with my so-called doctor, posted by Bill LL on April 22, 2004, at 10:14:09
SHAME, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME, SHAME
Posted by bobbiedobbs on May 3, 2004, at 14:24:27
In reply to my appointment today with my so-called doctor, posted by Stryker88 on April 21, 2004, at 17:02:17
Right on. I am kind of a psychoterrorist in that I swipe pharma-promotional items from Pdocs offices. This started after I noticed that two consecutive times my Pdoc prescribed changes in meds, a clock would appear on the wall (or had recently) advertising that product.
I already have an effexor clock, Celexa clock, and an impressive collection of Lexapro, Effexor and other meds "promotional" items. Totally in the public interest.
It is bad enough that the people who display these are such whores, worse that it is our mental health that they are compromising.
Hope they all think about this on their free vacations to the Bahamas.
If you are going to swipe these promotional items, leave a note as to why.
Posted by harryp on May 4, 2004, at 4:31:50
In reply to Re: my appointment today with my so-called doctor, posted by Bill LL on April 22, 2004, at 10:14:09
Uhh. You're making a good point, but I'm not sure this is the example I would choose...
I would rather take Lupron than have my testicles cut off!
:-)
> Read this article from yesterday's news. I can give you some more background info that is not in this article. Years a go, TAP artificially inflated the "Red Book" price of Lupron in order to get (trick) Medicare to pay the doctors more for giving this drug to their patients. As a result, doctors decided to do more Lupron therapy (a lot more) than the alternative treatment which is orchiectomy.
>
> So doctors actually changed their practice patterns in response to payment increases from Medicare.
>
> Drug Maker TAP Defends Marketing Practice
> By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
>
> Published: April 21, 2004
>
> Filed at 3:15 p.m. ET
>
> BOSTON (AP) -- Dinners and tickets to sporting events that a drug company gave to doctors weren't bribes, but small tokens meant to build good will so the doctors would prescribe its drugs, lawyers argued Wednesday.
>
> Eleven current and former executives and sales managers at Lake Forest, Ill.-based TAP Pharmaceutical Products are charged with giving bribes and kickbacks to doctors to boost the sales of TAP's prostate cancer drug, Lupron, and its heartburn drug, Prevacid.
>
> Prosecutors say the employees conspired to defraud the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs by urging doctors to bill the government for free samples of their drugs.
>
> They also claim the TAP employees lavished doctors with trips to golf and ski resorts, expensive dinners and other incentives to get them to prescribe their drugs.
>
> But in court Wednesday, defense lawyers said in opening statements that the TAP employees offered gifts only to ``build good will'' with doctors, and never suggested that they bill the government for free drug samples.
>
> Robert Sherman, an attorney for Donna Tom, a district sales manager for TAP from 1997 to 1999, showed the jury a memo in which one of Tom's sales staff described taking a doctor and his son to a Yankees game.
>
> ``That, ladies and gentlemen, the government says is a kickback,'' Sherman said in his opening statement.
>
> ``Everything that was provided to doctors was done to build good will ... the way it's done in every industry,'' he said.
>
> The case is being closely watched by the drug industry and the medical profession, which have both been criticized in recent years for giving and receiving gifts. Critics say that drives up the already high costs of prescription drugs and erodes public confidence in doctors.
>
> The trial is expected to last six months.
>
Posted by Bill LL on May 4, 2004, at 8:34:44
In reply to Re: my appointment today with my so-called doctor, posted by harryp on May 4, 2004, at 4:31:50
I didn't think of that, but I totally agree with you!
> Uhh. You're making a good point, but I'm not sure this is the example I would choose...
>
> I would rather take Lupron than have my testicles cut off!
>
> :-)
>
> > Read this article from yesterday's news. I can give you some more background info that is not in this article. Years a go, TAP artificially inflated the "Red Book" price of Lupron in order to get (trick) Medicare to pay the doctors more for giving this drug to their patients. As a result, doctors decided to do more Lupron therapy (a lot more) than the alternative treatment which is orchiectomy.
> >
> > So doctors actually changed their practice patterns in response to payment increases from Medicare.
> >
> > Drug Maker TAP Defends Marketing Practice
> > By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
> >
> > Published: April 21, 2004
> >
> > Filed at 3:15 p.m. ET
> >
> > BOSTON (AP) -- Dinners and tickets to sporting events that a drug company gave to doctors weren't bribes, but small tokens meant to build good will so the doctors would prescribe its drugs, lawyers argued Wednesday.
> >
> > Eleven current and former executives and sales managers at Lake Forest, Ill.-based TAP Pharmaceutical Products are charged with giving bribes and kickbacks to doctors to boost the sales of TAP's prostate cancer drug, Lupron, and its heartburn drug, Prevacid.
> >
> > Prosecutors say the employees conspired to defraud the federal Medicare and Medicaid programs by urging doctors to bill the government for free samples of their drugs.
> >
> > They also claim the TAP employees lavished doctors with trips to golf and ski resorts, expensive dinners and other incentives to get them to prescribe their drugs.
> >
> > But in court Wednesday, defense lawyers said in opening statements that the TAP employees offered gifts only to ``build good will'' with doctors, and never suggested that they bill the government for free drug samples.
> >
> > Robert Sherman, an attorney for Donna Tom, a district sales manager for TAP from 1997 to 1999, showed the jury a memo in which one of Tom's sales staff described taking a doctor and his son to a Yankees game.
> >
> > ``That, ladies and gentlemen, the government says is a kickback,'' Sherman said in his opening statement.
> >
> > ``Everything that was provided to doctors was done to build good will ... the way it's done in every industry,'' he said.
> >
> > The case is being closely watched by the drug industry and the medical profession, which have both been criticized in recent years for giving and receiving gifts. Critics say that drives up the already high costs of prescription drugs and erodes public confidence in doctors.
> >
> > The trial is expected to last six months.
> >
>
>
This is the end of the thread.
Psycho-Babble Medication | Extras | FAQ
Dr. Bob is Robert Hsiung, MD,
bob@dr-bob.org
Script revised: February 4, 2008
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/cgi-bin/pb/mget.pl
Copyright 2006-17 Robert Hsiung.
Owned and operated by Dr. Bob LLC and not the University of Chicago.