Healthy Skepticism Library item: 2234

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

Protest against drug company manipulation of doctors' choice of drugs
2001 Dec 8

Full text:

While doctors inside the Four Seasons Hotel in Manhattan were taking in their free meals and $500 “advisor’s fee, along with Forest Labs’ “educational” tract on its antidepressant Celexa, 80-plus picketers marched in front of the hotel on Saturday, December 8 carrying placards with such messages as: “Patients Not Profits” and “Forest Labs Gouges Americans: Celexa Pills Cost $2.25 in the U.S., $1.00 in Canada,” and chanting such mottos as “The people united Will never be so cheated!” “Hey-hey! Ho-ho! Sky-high drug prices got to go!” “Two-four-six-eight! Americans pay twice the rate!” and “Big PhRMA! Bad Karma” (they rhyme). Flyers were distributed to passers-by.

Participants included doctors, nurses, medical students, healthcare workers, the elderly, and the disabled (including two in their motorized chairs who joined in the picket line). The New York Chapter of Physicians for a National Health Program initiated the event, with several organizations joining as cosponsors: Region II of the American Medical Student Association, Metro NY Health Care for All Campaign, Brooklyn-wide Interagency Council of the Aging, Public Health Association of New York City, American Association of Psychosocial Rehabilitation, Disabled In Action of Metropolitan New York, JPAC for Older Adults, NYC Citizens’ Committee on Aging, NY StateWide Senior Action Council, and the Brooklyn Chapter of the Older Women’s League.

This first demonstration clearly resonated with the public and should be repeated across the country so our legislators understand that the people speak more loudly than drug company donations to their campaigns.

Thanks to all picketers: without your participation it could never have happened. If you would like to join PNHP-NY in future protests against high drug prices and the marketing practices of the pharmaceutical companies, please contact us. Our contact information is given below.

Dick Brown, M.D. and Joanne Landy, M.P.H.
Physicians for a National Health Program New York Chapter
2840 Broadway, #297 New York, NY 10025
Tel: (212) 666-4001 Fax (212) 866-5847
Email pnhpnyc@igc.org Web www.pnhpnyc.org