Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17393

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: news

Silverman E
Drug maker cancels tony N.Y. 'lecture'
The Star Ledger 2002 May 10

Full text:

It was nothing to sniff at.

On May 18, a doctor and a guest would dine at The Palm Restaurant, a Manhattan steakhouse where, according to Zagat’s, dinners go for an average $59.

From there, they would be treated to “Oklahoma” at the nearby Gershwin Theatre, where seats can cost $95 on a Saturday night.

Who would pick up the tab? Aventis Pharmaceuticals, which planned a lecture about Nasacort, its 6-year-old allergy drug that has experienced a steep slide in prescriptions.

This week, though, the drug maker canceled the event after a reporter called with questions about the timing. On July 1, the pharmaceutical industry will adopt voluntary guidelines banning drug makers from providing many freebies to doctors.

The changes come amid an uproar concerning the industry’s marketing practices. Faced with rising competition, drug makers have increasingly used freebies to gain doctors’ attention.

A spokeswoman for Aventis, which has its U.S. headquarters in Bridgewater, said the dinner was canceled several weeks ago. But on Wednesday, the catering sales manager at The Palm said a private dining room was still being held on May 18 for Aventis.

John Harrington, the company’s vice president for primary care sales, said he couldn’t explain the discrepancy, but he insisted the dinner had been canceled and that Aventis wouldn’t pay for theater tickets. The Palm confirmed the cancellation yesterday.

Harrington said Aventis is reviewing its marketing policy to comply with the new guidelines, which forbid paying for entertainment and allows only for modest-priced meals.

“We’re not going to do that anymore. We’re reviewing our policies in light of public concerns about appearances,” he said.

Critics charge such expensive promotional activities drive up the cost of medicine, a complaint voiced by millions of uninsured seniors.

“It’s time to ‘just say no’ to drug reps and their pens, pads, calendars, coffee mugs and, of course, lunch, not to mention dinners, basketball games and ski vacations,” Manhattan doctor Bob Goldman wrote recently on No Free Lunch, his anti-freebie Web site.

The practice is widespread. Last year, drug makers spent $2.1 billion on meetings and events, according to research firm Scott-Levin. And 61 percent of doctors told the Kaiser Family Foundation they received free meals, travel and event tickets from drug companies.

“Supposedly, it’s all going to disappear soon,” said Ellen Garibaldi, a West Orange allergist, who wasn’t invited to the Aventis dinner. “But this is like the last hurrah.”