U.S. Doctors in bed with Big Pharma

Doctors in the U.S. routinely receive bribes, kickbacks, meals, travel, gifts, etc., from Big Pharma, to promote their drugs, medical devices. “More than 2,500 physicians have received at least half a million dollars apiece from drugmakers and medical device companies in the past 5 years alone, a ProPublica analysis of payment data shows; and that doesn’t include money for research or royalties from inventions….more than 700 of those doctors received at least $1 million.” -inquirer.com. 10/21/19.

Aaron Mitchell, a medical oncologist…at Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, says “when doctors interact more consistently with a drug company, they are more likely to prescribe that company’s cancer drug.” The drug industry, Mitchell said, “knows that they need to cultivate relationships over more time, so that’s what they’re really trying to do. It’s not just one drug meal. It’s consistency.”-inquirer.com. 10/21/19.

“Of the top 20 drugs with the most annual spending on doctors from 2014-2018, six made the list in each of the years. Invokana to treat type 2 diabetes, blood thinners Xarelto and Eliquis, the antipsychotic Latuda, the immunosuppressive drug Humira and the multiple sclerosis drug Aubagio. Another three drugs were on the list for 4 years. Victoza to treat type 2 diabetes, psoriasis treatment Otezia, and the cholesterol lowering drug Repatha…”-inquirer.com. 10/21/19.

“An analysis in the British Medical Journal in 2017 found that the “top promoted drugs were less likely than top selling and top prescribed drugs, to be effective, safe, affordable, novel, and represent a genuine advance in treating a disease.”…drug company whistleblowers and federal prosecutors have said explicitly that some cases, the payments were actually bribes and kickbacks.”- inquirer.com. 10/21/19.

These bribes, kickbacks, etc., do not go without penalty…”In 2014, … Insys Therapeutics, promoted a fentanyl spray called Subsys, for advanced cancer pain. In 2018, “total spending on the drug reached $17.6 million”… “bribes and kickbacks targeted practitioners in exchange for increased Subsys prescriptions and increased dosage…” the company was fined $2 million, made to forfeit $28 million; agreed to pay $195 million in a separate whistleblower case.” -inquirer.com. 10/21/19.

“From 2014-2018, Avanir Pharmaceuticals spent nearly $22 million on its drug Nuedexta, which treats uncontrollable laughing or crying…Prosecutors said an Avanir employee reported that one doctor at a long term care facility, who was also a paid speaker for Nuedexta, put “entire units” of patients on Nuedexta. Another doctor at the facility, which had a number of dementia patients, routinely stopped Nuedexta, only to have the first doctor restart it again…”…” The company agreed to pay more than $108 million to resolve criminal and civil allegations that it paid kickbacks to doctors and marketed the drug for unapproved uses, including behaviors associated with dementia.”-inquirer.com. 10/21/19.

Conclusion: There is a site called “Dollars for Docs”, where anyone can punch in their doctor’s name and state, to see if they have received any drug company money.-inquirer.com. 10/21/19.

As a Pharmacist for 43 years, and an owner for 30 years, we find it most times ridiculous for a physician to prescribe drugs that are ridiculous in my cost, when there are very cheap generic alternatives of other drugs. More and more so, insurance companies are not allowing the more expensive drugs, via retail pharmacy; denying prior authorizations. Doctors are most times adamant that this is “the only drug that will work.” Then, some people pay out of pocket, whatever is the retail price. Then, we think to ourselves, the Doc must be getting a kickback, because there’s no other legitimate reason to prescribe something else that is effective and cheap. Then, the patient has to fight for themselves, with their doctor, and plead for something that’s cheaper. It’s a pathetic situation for a doctor to put money over, not just medically caring for a patient, but caring that the patient has to spend hundreds of dollars, needlessly. Pathetic that the Doctor cares more for his kickback than actual patient care. Pathetic that a patient in need of medication, has to be put through all this. Many Doctors have sold out their practices to hospital corporations. Doctors get paid less as a result, so therefore, to make up some income difference, they turn to Big Pharma. In general, especially among the younger doctors, we see less human compassion. If anyone in the healthcare field is void of basic human compassion, they are definitely in the wrong field. / Done