April 26, 2007
In broadcasting, it’s called “payola” when a radio station
accepts gifts from companies that stand to benefit financially from the
station’s influence. In medicine, its common practice, according
to a new study.
The survey, conducted by researchers at the Harvard Medical School, found that nine out of ten doctors in the U.S. admitted to accepting gifts from pharmaceutical companies, ranging from meals and drug samples to cash and travel. Lead researcher Eric Campbell said there is no apparent benefit to patients in this “special” relationship between doctor and drug company.
In the survey, more than 1,500 physicians in six specialties were quizzed
about their dealings with drug makers. More than 83 percent reported receiving
food in the workplace while 78 percent said they received free drug samples.
A full one third of those surveyed reported receiving payments to attend
meetings or for continuing studies. Twenty-eight percent of those surveyed
said they were paid by pharmaceutical companies for consulting, giving
lectures and enrolling patients for trials.
Doctors caring for poor patients were least likely to benefit from drug
company favors, according to the survey. On the other hand, the researchers
said heart specialists were more likely than other types of physicians
to get direct payments from drug companies.
The survey found that doctors meet with drug company representatives an
average of four times a month. The survey appears in the New England Journal
of Medicine.
