ARTICLE: "Report: Most Doctors Receive Gifts from Big Pharma"

March 24, 2021

 

Dear Readers:

This article is almost 3 years old, but this is still going on, and explains a lot of WHY doctors recommend certain medications and discredit others.  

 

Report: Most Doctors Receive Gifts from Big Pharma

By Ty Bollinger

From THE TRUTH ABOUT CANCER web site

Below is an excerpt from the article.  To read the article in its entirety, click on the link below:

https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/gifts-big-pharma/?utm_campaign&utm_medium=organic&utm_source=fb-ttac&utm_content=gifts-big-pharma&a_aid=59c13831797bc&fbclid=IwAR1t3YFVrIqv4LW8v3XtX-w-xv48RXz4om3SvPUAZYTtO1s46mn94-wHtyE

A survey published last month in the Journal of General Internal Medicine found that nearly three out of four doctors have financial ties to Big Pharma. The vast majority of these relationships were with representatives of prescription drug or medical device manufacturers. Gifts included drug samples, meals, and payment for consulting or advisory roles. 

Since 2013, federal law has required that payments to doctors by medical device and pharmaceutical companies be publicly reported. The database (which you can access here) has published over 11.5 million records between August 2013 and December 2017, reflecting $8.4 billion in gifts and payments.

Dr. Aaron S. Kesselheim, an associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School and lead author of the survey, says this may be influencing doctors’ behavior. According to the study, “Free samples are used as a marketing tool and have been linked to prescribing of high-cost, brand-name drugs over lower-cost generic alternatives.” He suggests that money paid for public speaking and consulting engagements may have an even more acute impact on doctor behavior. “Social scientists will tell you that any amount of money will influence people, but I think larger sums can influence behavior more,” Dr. Kesselheim said in a statement to The New York Times, 

This information is terrifying. 

We trust our physicians to make the best recommendations for our health, but the majority of these doctors are receiving gifts from Big Pharma that may influence the treatments they recommend. For example, an orthopedic surgeon in Manhattan received almost $2,000,000 from companies that manufacture hip and knee replacement products between 2015 and 2017. Not coincidentally, the surgeon, Dr. Geoffrey Westrich, performs hundreds of hip and knee replacements each year. In 2017, this doctor received $870,573.39 in general payments from pharmaceutical and medical device companies, including $448,000 for “consulting fees”, $28,580 for non-educational speaking engagements, and over $23,000 in travel and lodging. 

To read the rest of the article, click on the link provided above.