Healthy Skepticism Library item: 2246
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
Labarre R.
Doctors and Industry
The New York Times 2002 Nov 28
http://www.nytimes.com/2002/11/28/opinion/L28DRUG.html
Abstract:
Re “Madison Ave. Has Growing Role in the Business of Drug Research” (front page, Nov. 22): As a cardiologist, I feel the pressure from the pharmaceutical industry and the high-tech device industry to use me as a vehicle to move their products. Unwittingly, many physicians comply, sometimes for some modest monetary gain, with the innocuous belief that they may be enabling their patients to benefit from the latest technology (drug or device). However, now is the time for physicians to be very discerning, for not completely altruistic reasons. Given an ever-rising number of drug and device companies all competing for a piece of the health care pie, physicians should be very concerned that they are the ones who will lose out financially if they continue to shill for the industry to sell $5 Cokes to the public when a 50-cent Pepsi will do the same job. [full text]
Keywords:
*letter to the editor
United States
Full text:
To the Editor:
Re ‘‘Madison Ave. Has Growing Role in the Business of Drug Research’‘ (front page, Nov. 22):
As a cardiologist, I feel the pressure from the pharmaceutical industry and the high-tech device industry to use me as a vehicle to move their products. Unwittingly, many physicians comply, sometimes for some modest monetary gain, with the innocuous belief that they may be enabling their patients to benefit from the latest technology (drug or device).
However, now is the time for physicians to be very discerning, for not completely altruistic reasons. Given an ever-rising number of drug and device companies all competing for a piece of the health care pie, physicians should be very concerned that they are the ones who will lose out financially if they continue to shill for the industry to sell $5 Cokes to the public when a 50-cent Pepsi will do the same job.
ROBERT LABARRE, M.D.
Stamford, Conn., Nov. 22, 2002
Published: 11 – 28 – 2002 , Late Edition – Final , Section A , Column 5 , Page 34
