Healthy Skepticism Library item: 14728

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: report

The Prescription Project
Regulating Industry Payments To Physicians: Indentifying & Minimizing Conflicts of Interest
Boston: The Prescription Project 2008 Sep 12
http://www.prescriptionproject.org/tools/fact_sheets/files/0006.pdf

Abstract:

Physicians write more than 2 billion prescriptions a year1, an average of 7 for every
American. Intensifying competition to capture these sales has doubled
pharmaceutical industry marketing expenditures directed at physicians from $3.5
billion in 1996 to $7.2 billion in 2005 (excluding pharmaceutical samples).2 An
undisclosed portion of that budget is spent on direct payments to physicians in the
form of gifts, food, continuing medical education, travel, and consultancy fees. It is
estimated that industry spending for lunches may alone total as much as $1 billion a
year.3 A recent survey published in the New England Journal of Medicine indicates
that 94% of physicians have received food, drug samples or other reimbursements
and payments from the industry.4