[News] Drug Companies Hire Troubled Doctors As Experts

[PhylisFeinerJohnson]

This from NPR:

"Drug companies say they hire the most-respected doctors in their fields for the critical task of teaching about the benefits and risks of the companies' drugs.

But an investigation by ProPublica has uncovered hundreds of doctors receiving company payments who had been accused of professional misconduct, were disciplined by state boards or lacked credentials as researchers or specialists.

Compiled from disclosures by seven companies, the database covers $257.8 million in payouts since 2009 for speaking, consulting and other duties. The companies include Lilly, Cephalon, AstraZeneca, GlaxoSmithKline, Johnson & Johnson, Merck and Pfizer."

To read more, go to http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...774&ft=1&f=100

[Cint]

Phylis,

On another website, http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/10/whi...ost-look-here/, this same subject is discussed. I checked the ProPublica section where it discusses "Dollars for Docs" and the neurologist's name I used to see is on there. So is my endocrinologist's name. They are both professors at universities and make $$$$ at speaking engagements for the pharmaceuticals.

[Endless]

They aren't all chumps.

Thanks for the link. I checked out my epileptologist. Hmmm... my doc is listed in there for speaking gigs. He got a pretty high payment for some of his speaking engagements. Considering what I bet he earns every year it's probably chump change to him. He's definitely not a disciplined or incompetent doc. He's respected as one of the top two epileptologist's in the region.

He has prescribed a drug that was developed by the company that paid him, but he prescribed the generic version. So there was no benefit for the drug company.