Doctors who are paid promotional speakers for pharmaceutical companies?

[Command]

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How do other MD's view these doctors that get paid to give talks for drug companies or get numerous consulting fees?

 

[IlDestriero]

Smart.


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Il Destriero

 

[supermario21]

Jealous in more instances than one would think.

 

[SurfingDoctor]

Just ask my good friend Dr. Oz

http://www.usatoday.com/story/life/people/2014/06/17/dr-oz-senate-panel-weight-scams/10701067/

 

[Psai]

As long as I get my steak dinner I'm cool

 

[Gastrapathy]

Depends on a complex mathematical formula weighting the quality of the product, the speaker's reputation otherwise, how hard they shill and, most importantly, whether we can order off the menu or have to pick steak or salmon again.

 

[badasshairday]

You know it is other doctors who sit as audience for the said paid speaker. How else can you kearn about all the new drugs coming down the pipes? Reading? Yeah, but there are a million things to read about. At least with this you can passively learn and eat dinner at the same time so whatever.

 

[NickNaylor]

Fairly common activity among our faculty. And why not? The average going rate is $1-2k per lecture - basically an hour or hour and a half of work. All you're doing is presenting data. The data is biased, but it's real data nonetheless.

I don't see a problem with it. The problem is with the people that go to the dinners and are actually convinced by what is, at best, weak data. If companies manage to convince them to prescribe a medication because of a one-hour dinner, then the problem is with the person that was convinced, not the company. It's a very paternalistic approach: "oh, these people can't think, we need to take away their ability to be convinced." Ditto for arguing that people giving these lectures are somehow "evil" or "corrupt."

Having been to a few of these things, once you go to one you will see how completely underwhelming and not-a-big-deal they are. But they sound sexy and salacious, so they earn the ire of people that don't know anything about them.

 

[Command]

I'm just wondering if I were to supplement my income by $50-60k/year by doing talks for pharma companies will I be blackballed by other doctors?

 

[Donald Juan]

I'm just wondering if I were to supplement my income by $50-60k/year by doing talks for pharma companies will I be blackballed by other doctors?

Depends, are you promoting something that works? Being honest about the limitations? Or are you just willing to say anything for a buck. Many of the doctors that end up doing these things were involved with the clinical trials, and they end up actually using the product readily in their practice because they truly believe it has advantages and is a strong product.

 

[DetectiveAlonzo]

I'm just wondering if I were to supplement my income by $50-60k/year by doing talks for pharma companies will I be blackballed by other doctors?

who gives a flying ****?

If they blackball you they are simply jealous. Better yet... it's none of their business.

Cardiologist I shadowed got more than $30K last year doing such talks. I plan on doing the same thing if ever given the opportunity.

Patients McGriddles wants to stuff pills down his/her throat because he/she lacks the discipline to exercise and control their diet?

Fine by me, as long as I mentor them about what they are doing...

It's all about autonomy. Patient and doctor alike.