Jun 7 catiz v Yes, they should We're too drugged by companies and doctors who profit at our expense. Post
Jun 5 mikev9359 v Yes, they should DEFINITELY! This sways doctors to prescribe one brand over another and may even cause a doctor to prescribe a medication that may not be needed. Post
Jun 4 easttnmugshots v Yes, they should One look at easttnmugshots.com or easternkentuckymugshots.com will show you the sheer number of prescription drug related arrests. The doctors are pushed to prescribe these drugs which in turn works its way into the social ills that many communities and family's are facing. Start at the top of the chain and lots of problems at the end could be avoided. Post
u Jun 4 bat62 v Yes, they should If by "gifts" you mean money, trips, etc., then yes. If "gifts" means drugs, then no. Many, many patients receive the benefit of these drugs. If their doctor is good and honest, he gives the free drugs to his patients to help them with drug expenses, or to just try the drug before the patient has to spend money on something he/she can't tolerate. That is supposed to be what these free drugs are used for and not for hoarding for exclusive use of the doctor, his family and work force. Post
Jun 2 Mark_Hinkle v No, they shouldn't Haven't we learned anything from both alcohol and drug prohibitions? Bands don't work. I've received free samples of medicines given to doctors. Those who would ban this practice are trying to increase my cost of drugs. Why? Post
May 31 busseja v No, they shouldn't who would ban them? Don't we have too much government already? Post
May 29 InquisitiveMe v Yes, they should I've seen firsthand (as an RN) how this works, including being prescribed certain new antibiotics because the physician was trying to earn "points" with the pharmaceutical company. In one case, the antibiotic came on to the market with mixed results and ended up being withdrawn because it was toxic to the liver in some people (I was one of them; I recovered). By the same token, several young physicians have pointed out how much money is spent on meaningless promotional "window-dressing" ads for pharmaceuticals that are placed in media targeted toward physicians. The whole system is rotten. Post
u May 27 tomincali v Yes, they should and all in office should be charged with taking bribes when taking money from any outside the country. yet we have a president that the drug cartel supports,sent him money and when caught sent it back,wink wink. says it all about the pres,when drug dealers support you you know you are dirty. Post
May 24 Nurse8493 v Yes, they should Pharmaceutical gifts can be bribes. It creates a pandemic of corruption in our health care system. Post
Jun 7 catiz v Yes, they should We're too drugged by companies and doctors who profit at our expense. Post
Jun 5 mikev9359 v Yes, they should DEFINITELY! This sways doctors to prescribe one brand over another and may even cause a doctor to prescribe a medication that may not be needed. Post
Jun 4 easttnmugshots v Yes, they should One look at easttnmugshots.com or easternkentuckymugshots.com will show you the sheer number of prescription drug related arrests. The doctors are pushed to prescribe these drugs which in turn works its way into the social ills that many communities and family's are facing. Start at the top of the chain and lots of problems at the end could be avoided. Post
u Jun 4 bat62 v Yes, they should If by "gifts" you mean money, trips, etc., then yes. If "gifts" means drugs, then no. Many, many patients receive the benefit of these drugs. If their doctor is good and honest, he gives the free drugs to his patients to help them with drug expenses, or to just try the drug before the patient has to spend money on something he/she can't tolerate. That is supposed to be what these free drugs are used for and not for hoarding for exclusive use of the doctor, his family and work force. Post
Jun 2 Mark_Hinkle v No, they shouldn't Haven't we learned anything from both alcohol and drug prohibitions? Bands don't work. I've received free samples of medicines given to doctors. Those who would ban this practice are trying to increase my cost of drugs. Why? Post
May 31 busseja v No, they shouldn't who would ban them? Don't we have too much government already? Post
May 29 InquisitiveMe v Yes, they should I've seen firsthand (as an RN) how this works, including being prescribed certain new antibiotics because the physician was trying to earn "points" with the pharmaceutical company. In one case, the antibiotic came on to the market with mixed results and ended up being withdrawn because it was toxic to the liver in some people (I was one of them; I recovered). By the same token, several young physicians have pointed out how much money is spent on meaningless promotional "window-dressing" ads for pharmaceuticals that are placed in media targeted toward physicians. The whole system is rotten. Post
u May 27 tomincali v Yes, they should and all in office should be charged with taking bribes when taking money from any outside the country. yet we have a president that the drug cartel supports,sent him money and when caught sent it back,wink wink. says it all about the pres,when drug dealers support you you know you are dirty. Post
May 24 Nurse8493 v Yes, they should Pharmaceutical gifts can be bribes. It creates a pandemic of corruption in our health care system. Post
u May '13 DrNickels v Yes, they should They are in most states. Most hospitals bar physicians from partaking in such practices already. Post
May '13 jessejaymes v Yes, they should absolutely. Anyone voting no is either a pharma employee/shareholder/doctor or an outright idiot. Post
u May '13 vws v No, they shouldn't As long as they report them to the IRS on their taxes why should I care? Post
May '13 Chomsky0 v No, they shouldn't The government/American people should be able to negotiate drug prices like every other industrial country in the world. This is the problem. Who cares if they give gifts away. Post
May '13 AlexNWA v Yes, they should Payola was outlawed for radio stations and drugs are more dangerous than bad music.Kickbacks only lead to more unnecessary drugs being pushed onto an already hypochondriac public. Post
May '13 harold_lloyd v Yes, they should Not just gifts, any reward at all. And not just Pharma, every vendor or sales representative. A doctors decision to use or not use a particular drug or device should be solely based on the needs of the patient. Post
May '13 TerryConklin v No, they shouldn't It's their right but we need to be aware that the doc doesn't always have our health in mind. Post
May '13 PJS1973 v Yes, they should It's immoral, and leads to doctors making adulterated choices. Post
May '13 ZombieMedic v Yes, they should I like the perks I get, but still I think people would be better served if they didn't try to bribe us so much. B1 r2 replies Post
May '13 zeke What really burns me up is to be sitting in a doctors office waiting for who knows how long, when some attractive young woman comes through the door carring the big black bag. And everyone in the waiting thinks, oh no, its a drug rep, our wait just became a little longer! The doctor would serve his patients much better if he/she used their own judgement on what drug is better for the patient, even a drug that has been on the market for a while, rather than the new drug being pushed by the pretty blonde drug rep handing out all the perks. B1 @zeke Post
May '13 ZombieMedic @zeke Depends on how perky the rep is. heh heh JK! But that's not unheard of either! If you think waiting is bad now, wait another year and it will be worse. B1 @ZombieMedic Post
May '13 DrewGrizzly v Yes, they should Screw the pharmaceutical companies just legalize the use of medical marijuana then we won't have to deal with that type of crap B1 Post
Jul '12 Keyjo v Yes, they should Yes they should. They should also be banned from giving any campaign contributions. B1 e55 endorsed Post
Jul '12 ir0nw0lfe v Yes, they should Yes but that would shut down every drug rep in the country. Doctors currently get wined and dined bybevery drug rep who comes through their door. Free lunches, snacks, whatever. If the medicine us that beneficial it will sell itself once doctors are convinced of its effectiveness. The rest is just a bribe to get your local doc pushing their brand . B1 e17 endorsed Post
Jul '12 Thunderchicken v Yes, they should Shouldn't any type of bribery and kickbacks be illegal? e17 endorsed Post
u Jul '12 JesseWeger v No, they shouldn't Congress has no authority to regulate gifts to and from private entities. B1 r3 replies e13 endorsed Post
Jul '12 Bobolinsky v Yes, they should I'm torn. On the one hand, doctors and pharmaceutical companies are part of the private sector. We distinguish between the private and public sectors with regards to gifts because we recognize the blatant conflict of interest when it comes to politicians. . However, in the private sector, gifts are only a bribe if there is fraud involved. Doctors pushing a particular brand of medication without full disclosure is a conflict-of-interest. Conflicts-of-interest are invitations to fraud. . I believe doctors must accept a level of responsibility to work in the best interest of their patients. Any distrust of the doctor's intentions is dangerously close to violating that... r7 replies e3 endorsed Post
u Jul '12 kosmik v Yes, they should Pharmaceuticals are part of the overall healthcare problem. It is due to the gifts, kickbacks, medical office parties that have led us to be a nation of pill poppers. Rather than seek to cure ills, which has a limited profit potential, we are instead strung out on substances which merely address the symptoms, ignore the underlying problem and create more trouble with adverse side effects. B1 e1 endorsed Post
Jul '12 Pookie v No, they shouldn't They should be able to as long as any member of congress can receive anything from a lobbyist, interest group, or other person advocating. I know health care providers are much less likely to be swayed by a pharmaceutical rep than a congressional rep is from a lobbyist offering goodies. B1 e1 endorsed Post
May '13 lawnmowrman v Yes, they should The gift giving in exchange for promoting new drugs leads doctors to treat patients like guinea pigs. My doctor gives samples to try for a week. What is wrong with doctor's today? They should decide from all available prescription drugs which would best treat a condition. My doctor prescribed Advair which almost killed me. Not one year passed before he tried to get me to take Advair again. What an ass! He had forgotten my case and did not review my paperwork before recommending the drug that put me in a hospital room after only five days use. I remind my doctor, every time I visit him, that I am not a guinea pig, and he will not treat me like one. B2 Post