A drug rep's dream come true

The power of free drug samples:

Antonio Morgado is a pharmaceutical sales rep’s dream come true.

Morgado, an endocrinologist, sees 600 patients a month at Palisades Medical Center in North Ber gen. He is among New Jersey’s most prolific prescribers of top-selling drugs for diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure, according to prescription data services.

Every weekday, a virtual army of sales reps — mostly young women with eye-catching hair, makeup and wardrobes — come calling with mugs and pens sporting company logos, piles of medical literature and armfuls of drug samples.

Morgado said he agrees to see the reps in exchange for a steady supply of samples, which he gives to patients who are poor or uninsured.

“It’s difficult to practice medicine without the patients taking the appropriate medicine,” Morgado said. “I tell them (sales reps) to give me the samples or I kick them out.”