Healthy Skepticism Library item: 19087
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
Docs Speaking for Drug Companies on a Variety of Topics
PharmaLive 2011 Feb 7
http://pharmalive.com/news/index.cfm?articleID=759711
Full text:
From creating practices that focus on meeting the needs of patients to the neurobiology of depression, talks sponsored by drug companies are sometimes about more than just how and why particular drugs should be prescribed.
While it is hard to say for sure what doctors who have earned speaking and consulting fees from drug companies actually talk about, many local doctors said they have accepted opportunities that allow them to talk about topics dear to their hearts.
Frederick Bloom, M.D., is the assistant chief quality officer for Geisinger Health Systems. From July to December 2009, he earned $25,200 speaking for Merck about patient-centered medical homes.
Both Geisinger and Dr. Bloom have been recognized nationally for their efforts in setting up doctors’ offices to be medical homes, which offer a more concentrated focus on a patient’s care to improve the quality and lower the cost of health care. Medical homes have become a health care buzzword lately, with health care reform legislation emphasizing their importance in delivering quality, accountable care.
“I’ve been speaking to groups about this since 2008,” Dr. Bloom said. “Merck approached me to see if I would do this kind of talk for them.”
Merck paid Pennsylvania doctors and medical professionals $617,000 in speaking and consulting fees for 2009 and 2010. Spokesman Ronald Rogers said only part of that money goes to doctors who talk about Merck medications and how they should and can be used.
In addition to talks about patient-centered medical homes, doctors on Merck’s speaking bureau also deliver presentations on communicating with patients, improving patient health outcomes and bridging the gap between cultures.
“We think those programs provide a tremendous benefit to doctors and their patients,” Mr. Rogers said.
Other drug companies provide similar talks. Psychiatrist Matthew Berger, M.D., earned $183,131 in 2009 and 2010 from AstraZeneca, Eli Lilly, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson and Pfizer. He estimates that 30 percent of the presentations he gives are not about any particular prescription drug. His favorite talk is one that focuses on the neurobiology of depression and its links to genetics.
Dunmore neurobiologist Vithalbhai Dhaduk, M.D., who earned $27,410 in 2009 and 2010 from Cephalon, Eli Lilly and GlaxoSmithKline, said his involvement with clinical trials led to invitations from drug companies to speak about his experiences with certain drugs and how they could help patients.
“We’re giving honest opinions about how well drugs worked,” he said. “We can help improve medication through this.”
