Generic drugs can vary 20% from the brand name per FDA guidelines. So in reality generic drugs can be 20% less effective than a brand name drug which may be the reason for persons with doctorates of medicine prescribing of a brand name over a generic, nothing to do with the name on a pen or sticky note. We have seen this in our patients more with psychotrophics/sleep aids.

The same for any ethical physician, no physician worth their salt would compromise dr/pt relationship, or prescribe something to patients that they know is not as effective.
~~~Why else do they have their staff spend the time to get prior authorization with health insurance companies for prescriptions that are not on their “formulary”?

That begs the question, why are certain drugs on formularies that are proven to be not as effective in the overall population than a lesser effective drug????

The true “ethics” question here is what is the relationship between big Pharma and the health insurance industry who do receive a lot more than pens and sticky notes in “kickbacks” from big Pharma for their drugs to be put on the inusruance formulary.

New meds are expensive because research is so costly. Studies must be performed for years. And if you don’t think this is necessary, look at all the ads in the papers and on TV from lawyers wanting to make money if a problem develops with a medication!

I’m waiting for Wash D.C. to get rid of the lobbyists so that our elected representatives will listen to what we say. They are getting expensive trips (Doctors lost those years ago BTW), dinners, call girls and other perks to vote the way lobbyists want.

If people really thought about this for more than two seconds, I’d hope it would be closer to 80-90% in favor.

Those 47%: You really mean to tell me that you don’t think there is anything sleezy/sneaky about pharmaceutical company representatives giving doctors “Gifts” for “no reason”?

Let me say that again. You actually think that these representatives get paid to give gifts to doctor…for no reason then to just be nice?

I mean, does that make ANY sense?

Obviously the point is they do it BECAUSE it influences the doctors. Whether consciously or not. Maybe you think doctors are 100% ethical. (Which they are not – do you think priests are 100% ethical? Teachers? Everybody is human, everyone makes mistakes, everyone is susceptible to greed, etc.) But let’s go with that for a second.

Even if the doctor was the most ethical person in the world, you really think that they have the ability to not be affected by subconscience repeated exposure to a brand name (e.g. using a pen that says Adderall, a script that says Lunesta, etc.)

If you see the same thing, day in day out, do you not subconsciously get used to it? Think about it more?

So the next time the doctor is prescribing, he is more likely to remember the drug that’s on his jacket coat than another drug with the same efficacy.

These are all very simple, logical, explainable points…that apparently almost HALF don’t understand.

Oh and PS. You think they only get pens? They get vacations to seminars…in Hawaii. There are way more perks than just the pens. Look into it before you just say “No, I think gift giving is nice! Who cares about morals.”