Healthy Skepticism Library item: 6836

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Journal Article

A farewell to sales reps
Prescrire International 1999; 8:(41):66

Abstract:

Ten years ago la revue Prescrire published an article entitled Une année sans V/M, “A year without sales reps”, in which we invited French health professionals to do without sales reps and see what happened. Many subscribers extended the trial period indefinitely; a wise move on their part according to the latest report from our reps monitoring network. Readers who still see reps continue to inform us of unacceptable practices, such as misleading presentations, blatant disinformation, “free” gifts, failure to provide legally required documents. Their anecdotal reports are confirmed by the Network’s damning conclusions: virtually nothing has changed in the past ten years. Prescribers and pharmacists should not expect to receive reliable information from medical sales reps. Indeed, the reps’ raison d’être is to sell; and, to sell effectively, they usually have to hide or distort certain information on their products or their competitors. Health professionals are not obliged to see sales reps. The time spent looking at pretty visuals and listening to pseudoscientific or biased arguments could be far better spent on following a continuous education programme, for example. But what about the free samples, the books, the gadgets and the trinkets, not to mention the free meals in classy restaurants? Don’t worry: the withdrawal symptoms are manageable. Instead of relying on free samples one can simply buy the drugs one needs. Gadget addicts can find substitutes in most high-street stores, and paying one’s own way at professional meetings comes naturally after a while. Ten years without sales reps, and no regrets. On the contrary, appreciable extra time and professional independence are recovered. Could you too live without sales reps? We believe you could and should.

Keywords:
*editorial/France/sales representatives/quality of information/la revue Prescrire/EVALUATION OF PROMOTION: DETAILING