Health care professionals reveal a frightening faith in prescription drugs

Big Pharma’s secret romance

Drug company sales reps see fewer and fewer doctors these days. And you might think that’s a good thing. After all, less drug company influence over your doctor means he’s less likely to have his treatment decisions influenced by the pressures of a killer sales pitch and an all-expenses-paid golf outing to the Bahamas.

So with less access to doctors, what are those sales reps doing with their free time?

They’re wooing nurses. But not just ANY nurses…

Drug dependency

A “nurse practitioner” is not your average nurse.

For one thing, she (or he) has an advanced medical degree. In certain settings, she may consult with patients, just as a doctor does. AND she can also prescribe drugs.

That last detail is huge. And don’t think it’s been overlooked by the drug industry.

A new survey from Harvard Medical School shows that drug reps have easy access to NPs, and most NPs seem to be quite comfortable with that.

Close to 100 percent of the NPs surveyed said they had regular contact with drug reps, and almost as many–93 percent–said that gifts, meals, etc., have no sway over their judgment when it comes time to pull out the prescription pad.

Hmmm. That sounds pretty optimistic (not to mention naive). But contrary to their belief that their judgment can’t be swayed, nearly half say they’re more likely to prescribe a drug that’s featured at a special event, such as a dinner presentation.

Other results also reveal a very cozy, drug-friendly relationship:

• About two-thirds believe it’s fine for drug reps to bring meals and even gifts to doctors’ offices and other clinical practice settings
• 90 percent say it’s appropriate to attend a meal that includes a presentation sponsored by a drug-maker
• Nearly 80 percent say that a meal event, sponsored by a drug-maker, is a “good-to-excellent” way to learn about new drugs

But what’s really unsettling is NPs’ attitudes toward distributing drug samples.

Two-thirds say they regularly dispense samples to patients. But more than 80 percent say they have no ethical problem in giving samples to anyone. Anyone!

So if an NP has a friend who’s feeling blue–here, try this starter pack of Prozac. Better take some Ritalin too if you have trouble getting focused and motivated.

All these big percentages add up to a frightening commitment to prescription drugs.

In their article, the researchers note that there are significantly more NPs than family physicians in the U.S., and each NP writes as many as 25 prescriptions each day, on average. That adds up to millions of prescriptions every year. And with constant drug company pressure, that number can only be expected to climb–as, I’m sure, will the number of free dinners.

Sources:
“‘Under the Radar’: Nurse Practitioner Prescribers and Pharmaceutical Industry Promotions” American Journal of Manage Care, December 2010, ajmc.com
“Nurse Practitioners Like Pharma Lunches & Dinners” Ed Silverman, Pharmalot, 2/17/11, pharmalot.com