Pitching Prescriptions and Patient Empowerment

The pharmaceutical industry in the United States and worldwide is a big business. That's why its critics (and now some Wall Street analysts too) call it "Big Pharma." In the United States last year, the pharmaceutical industry grossed $275 billion. To put this figure into perspective, consider that the American people spent more on pharmaceutical drugs than they did on new cars last year.

Product "promotion" is key. No doubt you have noticed ... Full Story »

Posted by Kaizar Campwala
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Posted by: Posted by Kaizar Campwala - Jul 30, 2007 - 9:46 AM PDT
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Kaizar Campwala
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by Kaizar Campwala - Oct. 1, 2008
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Patricia Blochowiak
5.0
by Patricia Blochowiak - Oct. 1, 2008

As a physician, I always wonder where they find those docs who allegedly like direct-to-consumer advertising. I certainly don't know of anyone who admits to liking being badgered about drugs that aren't even relevant for the patient being seen. I love the cartoon showing the doctor telling a person that the only drug that would make them think they're skiing through a bed of flowers would be a hallucinogen, which would be illegal to prescribe. It also surprises me that stories such as this one are considered news, since they're so "old hat." Still, I have to consider it excellent reporting because it tells an important story that too many people don't know.

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