I think there are positive and negative effects of pharmaceutical promotions. Yes, it takes away most of the scientic evidence, but even with backup literature, there still can be biased/limited results from these studies. As physicians' standpoint and by receiving information from drug reps, it gives them an opportunity to create more business to their own practice. More and more potential clients can come in for check ups and seek professional help by hearing from these drug advertisement. Although, I think it is ridiculous that drug reps try to "win" the physicians to buy their products, but then again, a lot of this happens throughout life too. This can be interpreted either positive or negative, that the physician is now in control of what knowledge they have and cannot rely on drug reps for the current drug available. It lets the physician take charge of what can be prescribed and create a better relationship with the patients.
I think that it is good that this program is staying away from all the pharmaceutical companies. They are really trying to focus on the patient care. This company feels that they should just focus on the science behind illnesses and to fix these illnesses with information that has already been proven to work. They feel that drug companies try to bribe physicians into recommending their products with all of their free gifts and lunches they give away. I feel that more medical personnel should follow what this company is doing, and not be persuaded to buy into these pharmaceutical companies and to pay more attention to their patients and what they need
I think that this is actually a really great website for patients and physicians to use because it allows them to break away from the pharmaceutical companies. I think that doctors should not depend on drug reps and gifts in order for them to prescribe their patients medications. Doctors are the ones that went to medical school and learned what drugs should be given to their patients, so they should be the ones running their practices not drug reps. It is very easy to get caught up in the bribes and free samples, but at the end of the day you have to question whether or not this is really benefiting your patient. I can understand that there are many new drugs out there that probably have helped many people, but at the same time drugs like Vioxx have been the leading cause in many heart problems and if doctors had really taken the time to check out the drug maybe we could have reduced this problem. It seems more important for these doctors to get close to their patients and understand where they are coming from rather than writing them a prescription for a new drug on the market.
I think that many of us don't realize how much the advertising of pharmaceuticals impacts both patients and physicians. I think that this organization is great in that its attempts are to stop the negative influence of drug and pharmaceutical representative advertising. The idea that some physicians are essentially bribed by pharmaceutal companies using enticements such as free trips and free diners in exchange for drug promotion via drug prescription is ridiculous and unprofessional. The fact that some drugs are prescribed by physicians who neglect their side effects, simply to fulfill the wants of pharmaceutical companies is horrible. In the end, although it is up to the doctor to make the right decision pertaining to prescriptions, perhaps the existance of organizations such as "no free lunch" is the start to an ethical revelation for many physicians who have been long blinded by money-grabbing pharmaceutical companies.
I think that this is a good way for people to break away from the biases that pharmaceutical companies will push on both physicians and the general public. I don’t think it is right how much money these drug companies spend on trying to lure doctors into giving away their product. I don’t just blame the pharmaceutical companies but I also blame the doctors that accept the bribes of free items and meals in exchange for using a certain company’s drug over another drug that they may already know about. Hopefully, programs like this one will be used more often to help switch the focus back to patient care and away from the focus on a profit.
I think this website addresses some great points regarding the pharmaceutical companies. The pursuasion that occurs between the doctors and the drug reps is one issue, but the easy signature of the doctor is another. If a person has a blood pressure problem and they have attempted to fix the problem with diet and exercise and the increased blood pressure exists, then maybe a drug should be recommended for treatment. However, when a patient walks in and tells the doctor which treatment plan based on a drug advertisement they saw, and the doctors just easily say yes and sign away, that is a problem! I don't think we should completely avoid prescribing medications, but I think that doctors and other practitioners should provide all of the different treatment options and encourage to patients to change the controllable factors first. I also think that policies around insurance companies and timing in the medical institution should be corrected so that a doctor can sit down with a patient for more than a few minutes to screen and explain different treatment options.
This is very interesting... I agree with what they are trying to do. It seems that the goal of the organization is to reduce the amount of influence/pressure health care professionals experience from pharmaceutical companies. This is a good thing but if that is the case then why is it only the pharmaceutical companies being targeted? There are many other companies that may sponsor similar events (i.e. medical equipment companies, insurance companies, etc.). I just don't think that it should be limited as it seems to be.
This organization is needed for the spread of the idea of "no free lunch" and the abolishment of pharmaceutical companies advertisement. There needs to be more recognition to the fact of how much these advertisements and campaigns and free promo gifts influence our every day decisions. It makes sense that these gifts, free lunches, and other free gimmicks would would influence doctors and patients alike. If you had two friends exactly the same except for one always pays for your meal, the other does not, which one are you more likely to hang out with? We are influenced by these DTC advertisements, gimmicks and promotions all the time without thinking twice about the real cause of their presence. "No Free Lunch" and their campaign against these pharmaceutical bribes is the first step to having a more effective and efficient medical system.
This organization is much needed. It occurs too often that professionals in any field become compromised from benefits or marketing techniques within their field and I believe this is one of the largest examples. We constantly see new pharmaceutical drugs marketed through pens and clipboards alone in the doctors office. I believe doctors need an unbiased approach when it comes to medicine. They should base their "choice of drug" on research alone instead of who provides the most free benefits. "No Free Lunch" is a great idea but advertisements such as this are present in every aspect of today's life, much like Eric D states. We constantly see free promotions in every aspect in today's society. Whether it is food or medicine the promotion is there. I think this is a great idea but think pharmaceutical companies will always have some influence on doctors in the field.
I think this organization and website are great ideas. It is important for people who are uninformed to have a non-biased place to go to get information. I agree that healthcare providers who support pharmaceutical promotion should not be involved in clinical care. I also like how they have literature that proves how pharmaceutical companies have bribed customers with gifts and food over the years. Another thing I like is that the website provides assistance not only information. I don't think it's only the pharmaceutical companies at fault. I think the doctors need to stand up for their practice and just because the patient wants a drug doesn't mean you give it to them.
I think this website and organization are a very good idea. I think that it is a necessary thing to have people understand the true meanings behinf certain medicines and prescriptions. The advertisments on tv do not give complete view into the real effects of the drug. The advertisements show the positive effects in the images of the commercials but only say the negative effects. Many people who want these prescriptions only want the positive effects and don't fully understand the bad side effects. I think that this organization whould be more public and people should really understand what they are getting when they are prescribed a certain medicine.
I think this is a great website, but it is too bad we have had to resort to this method. We have professional doctors with 6 to 8 years of college that were taught how to find and treat people who have an illness or disease. We should not, as patients, have to worry about the doctors being ethical, bought off by pharmaceutical companies or even being coerced by patients who saw an advertisement and they believe they have that problem. Doctors should be professional enough to look and evaluate what each patients needs, and they should be keeping up with the new/old medicines to find out side affects and how they really work. They should not be taking a salesman word for it. I was totally suprised to hear that the advertisements increased their sales, I really thought that since the doctors had the final say, that it didn't matter what was being advertised, the doctor would prescribe what was best for their patient.
I think this organization is innovative in recognizing a very serious problem that exists in the relationship between doctors and pharmaceutical companies. The website states that No Free Lunch believes that there is a significant connection between the gifts and meals and promotions that drug companies offer and the drugs that doctors end up prescribing. I agree completely with this organization that pharmaceutical companies should not be influencing how doctors treat patients and what medications they end up prescribing. It must be very difficult to be in this minority of doctors that make an honest effort to remain objective and rely on actual clinical research and not gifts or vacations to decide what medications to prescribe. I think it is also important that there is an medical student level to this organization. This ensures that there will be future doctors that will graduate already participating in this alternative system. I think that this organization is a good start towards limiting the role that pharmaceutical companies play in the medicine and health.
I think that overall this non-profit organization is a great idea. Its showing that some health care providers aren't going to put up wiht pharmacuetical companies coming in and trying to run the show. It shows the determination of some healthcare providers to not compromise what they have gone to school so long to learn..quality healthcare. Its a doctors job to make sure they are prescribing cost effective drugs. They shouldn't have to have sales reps urge them to prescribe their drugs. Like the website says, there are plenty of sources for doctors to get information about the newest drugs out there, why stupe down to the level where you only learn through what a sales rep tell you?..I find it somewhat crazy that doctors can just be bought things like lunch or vacations and then start prescribing a drug more often..how does that help us as their patients? ..I decided to look for doctors in my area and found only 4 doctors in Maine that had taken the No Lunch Pledge, whereas back home in Massachusetts there were 25 doctors who had taken the pledge within a fifty mile radius of my house...I would have liked to see those numbers a lot higher. Hopefully the word will spread and more healthcare providers will hear about this website. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
I think No Free Lunch is a great non-profit organization that many healthcare providers should look into. Although many people do not believe it, but pharmacuetical companies hold alot of power in our society's healthcare system. They clearly are in it for the money and not for patient health because they bribe physicians, nurse practioners, etc. to prescribe their drug even though it could possible be the equivalent of IB profen just more expensive. I looked in the directory to see if any healthcare providers in the New England area had joined and their were a few but not many. Hopefully No Free Lunch can promote their website more and atrract more attention because this organization will benefit patient healthcare in the long run.
I think it's a shame that physicians are influenced by drug reps. One would think that after years of schooling, residencies, etc, that they would be well aware of the fact that they are taking the side of the corporation over the patient, the person that they took the Hippocratic Oath to protect. However, being employed by a pharmacy - many of these brand new drugs that come about really work wonders and are safer than the generics out there. Many name brand thyroid medications (though expensive) are far more effective than the generics. Also, inhalers and birth controls are constantly being rotated and updated to ensure that the patient is given the best option available for them. I understand that the bottom line of No Free Lunch's message is for Doctor's to not be tainted by a drug rep but with the "free samples" that the website so easily denounced are really great for patients. Usually by the time the patient or prescriber runs out of the samples, they either came to the decision that 1.) the tablet isn't for them or 2.) there is a generic out on the market. Also, many state laws make it a requirement that generic drugs are dispensed at a pharmacy as opposed to the name brand unless specifically stated by a doctor (which involves a lot of paperwork on their part in order for 3rd party to pay for it which usually a physician may not have time for if there is an equivalently successful generic on the market). As a student, I personally enjoy my colorful pens and free mugs with random medications branded on them that get dropped off at the pharmacy, but if a doctor can be influenced by a pen or a cup then you have to ask yourself why you are seeing that doctor in the first place. Let's be honest - your health is your responsibility and you have every right to speak to your doctor about what they are prescribing and asking for alternatives.
I agree with many of the previous posts. The basis behind this organization is one I think is beneficial for all parties involved. By not giving into pharmaceutical promotions, it is bringing back the science in the clinical field. Clinicians should be able to determine what drugs and prescriptions are best suited for situations at hand based solely on the chemistry behind these drugs. I think in some cases, of course, some of the drugs being promoted may be legitimate, but in these cases why is it necessary to bribe physicians with pens, mugs, etc. If a drug is suitable for prescription it should not be because of a free gift. No Free Lunch is a good step toward getting society back to making decisions based on science, not advertising and media. It is important that physicians start looking at what's really in these drugs that are being promoted instead of just accepting a pitch from a sales rep.
No Free Lunch is moving in a positive direction for healthcare by attempting to eliminate DTC advertising. Without the push of pharmaceutical companies pressuring physicians to hand out drugs freely, the physicians can use more scientifically based medical knowledge to provide a treatment plan to their patients. I think it will lead toward more demedicalization of the more recently medicalized diseases. It will allow for more legitimate treatment plans and lean away from easy drug fixes. I think this company could have a positive influence on the medical community and society as a whole. They have the evidence to back up their argument that physicians tend to supply more unnecessary drugs to their patients when promoted by drug reps. No Free Lunch can really make a positive change to the biomedical way our healthcare system is run.
As some have mentioned, this issue lies much deeper than pharmaceutical companies. Sure pressure from reps/patients/media, free gifts and the newest trends in drugs impact practitioners the ultimate decision to prescribe a drug hinders on the doc. This organization makes a great point that doctors need to use their medical knowledge to make a quality decision when it comes to prescriptions. Like all of us have been taught, don't prescribe anything to a patient that either you yourself haven't experienced or know the proven outcome of what you prescribe.
This website and organization is a great idea. The word just need to get out to other Doctors, Nurses, Physicians Assistants, etc. Drug company representatives are baiting people in the health care industury through gimics and complimentary gifts. Unfornately, many health care practicitioners are taking the bait hook, line, and sinker. Many may not want to believe it but they are being highly influenced to prescribe certain drugs, for they are getting free stuff from the companies. Doctors and other practicitioners need to be more informed about these drugs such as side effects good and bad, and these drugs need more testing so doctors can know about any other unknown side effects. Health care practicitioners need to be differed from being influenced and taking the bait from these drug companies. The word just needs to get out not only to health practictioners, but also patients. If patient's new about these drug companies then patients may be more apt to only trust or see Doctors who refuse to take the gimics from drug companies.
No Free Lunch is a great idea. This organization brings up a good point in that pharmaceutical companies are always looking to make more money than they already are and not really focusing on the actual health of the patient. Doctor's, nurses, and other companies need to realize this and not follow along with the pharmaceutical promotional ideas on different drugs.They should focus on scientific evidence of how and what certain drugs do and how they can affect the patients. I never thought of it this way and it brings up a really good point that I am sure other people do not see as well.
The No Free Lunch organization is a great idea. I have seen from a very young age the effects of pharmaceutical reps. My mother works for CMMC and she has brought home so many pens, pencils, highlighters, sticky notes, and other paraphernalia that has started taking over our house. I have also been to many of the 'free lunches' provided by drug reps. As the studies have stated all the reps do is push, push, and push even if the physician is not interested. They give out very limited information and refer to clinical trails by never elaborate on them even when questioned about it.
I think promotion of new treatments is a good thing but I do not feel that drug reps do it in the appropriate way. As many of the other have said, all they care about is the promotion of the drug compared to the patients. I think if more and more people start campaigns such as No Free Lunch we will see a change in the way drug reps go about their jobs.
I intern at a health care facility where students rely on affordable or even free health care. This particular facility, where free health care is often provided, rely on the pharmaceutical companies that give away free samples to give to financially unstable students when in need. I think a lot of people overlook the positives that the pharmaceutical companies provide to places like the health center that I intern at. Yes, it is an advertising ploy, but more importantly, they generate a relationship with a health care facility which allows the reps to have the ability to give away a lot of free product and samples that are of no cost to students. The nurse practitioners here pride themselves upon the fact that they can utilize these free samples to give to patients who embody the underprivilegded student in the health care realm. In this aspect, I disagree with the "No Free Lunch" organization because pharmaceutical companies do indeed benefit some health care facilities and professions like the one at which I intern. Such student-friendly health care is really appreciated by families with extensive financial burdens, like many average families in the US. From an overall standpoint, however, the "No Free Lunch" organization does implicate some positive aspects such as that of putting the care of the patient first, and resisting annoying presures from overbearing pharmaceutical companies. From my personal experience, nonetheless, I do believe that not all pharmaceutical reps are out there trying to pressure and change the ways of the health care field. Some really are providing insight into new products and pride themselves about being able to give away samples to more underprivilegded people.
I think that while pharmaceutical promotions are not in themselves bad and could be used to improve care, their current form is much more harmful than helpful. It is far too easy for drug companies to only report statistics that favor their drugs, and either downplay or completely ignore the negative aspects. This problem is only compounded by the FDA’s limited power to police the companies, resulting advertisements that provide a lot of misinformation. Regardless of what the companies claim it is quite obvious that the advertisements have a huge impact on both consumers and physicians, because if they served no purpose the drug companies would not pour millions into the media. As has been discussed in class it creates an unnecessary pressure on the physicians and leads to changes in their diagnostic procedure. Patients arrive with a list of drugs hoping for cures to problems that have been over-generalized and misrepresented. Even when the patients are legitimately suffering from a condition there are often better ways to go about treatment, but these advertisements reinforce the quick fix attitude that pervades our society. In the end it leads to widespread over prescription of potentially dangerous drugs. There are some positives, such as patients visiting the doctor when they otherwise would not. This leads to physicals and screenings necessary for the drugs, which can uncover underlying conditions. There are better ways to promote increased visits to the doctor however, and currently the negatives far outweigh the positives.
I never really realized how much of an impact the pharmaceutical companies and drug reps had on doctors and patients when it came to prescribing medicine and asking for medicine until we read that article for class. I think that the website Changing Behavior and the nonprofit organization No FREE Lunch is a great way to not only spread awareness to the public but also to doctors and medical students who are going to become doctors, that they don't have to sell their soul to the devil to be a good doctor. It is time that someone take a stand whether it be the medical students, practicing doctors and physicians or the patients. The promotion of drugs by these pharmaceutical companies and drug reps is not only putting more drugs out on the market but also putting unnecessary drugs into patients medicine cabinets that don't need to be there. It is also turning the general public into doctors. Now a days everyone wants that magic pill that will make their lives better; whether it be to loose weight, take away their pain, make them happy, or make them rich. When people see commercials and ad's advertising these prescription drugs they think, "oh I have that", "maybe that will help me", "I have all those symptoms, I need that drug." When in all reality it is probably not the right drug for them, and in the end is actually going to create more problems for them. This kind of advertisement has taken the doctors and physicians role of prescribing the right medicine to their patients and put it into the hands of the patients.
As an aspiring pharmacy student, I think that pharmaceutical companies and drug reps get to much bad rep. They are simply doing their job. There are new medications on the market all the time, and without them promoting these medications, how will Dr.’s know what is out there. I think that it is pretty scary that many Dr.’s can be persuaded by pens, pads, staplers, food…etc. If they are that easily persuaded, how can we trust that our health is in their best interest? I would like to see the drug companies not have such a bad reputation. Pharmacists are known as an encyclopedia of medicine. Without that knowledge, and without that knowledge being spread, many Dr.’s would not be updated on what is out there. I guess I would like to see people be a little more harsh on the practitioners because they are the ones accepting all the material, the drug reps are just doing there job.
i do think that pharmaceutical companies have a huge influence on doctors and individuals. a lot of pharmaceutical companies like to promote their drugs through gifts and products, and im not going to lie, i have pens and clipboards with drug names on them. i think this is a good way to get products out for people to know about as well as doctors. but it is also beneficial for doctors and their offices to not be persuaded by these free gifts. i think this site is a good idea and should be more well known because in the end it is about helping the people and thats the most important part.
I believe this is a great program for health care providers and the general public to check out, in order to break free from the lure of pharmaceutical companies. This "no free lunch" debate arises from concerns that pharmaceutical companies influence on doctors, leads to a medical model, biased towards ever increasing prescribing, a situation which favors pharmaceutical companies over patients and society. Pharma companies realize that in order for their products to find a market, they must first influence the health care providers that prescribe them. Why else would a company, in which profits are key, spend money on gifts and food if they felt it would have no impact on behavior? Drugs definitely play a key role in health care, however, health care providers need to avoid influence from companies with a profit agenda in order to better treat patients.
There are good and bad things about this program. Good in the terms that doctors pharmacist and patients are trying to be influence by the science rather than the pharmachetical companies. As talked before in class there are more negatives to direct consumer ads then there are positive. By giving companies free pens notepads etc promotes their drug discretely everyone loves "free" stuff. We also have to think that all the money we spend on drugs goes to pharmacheutical companies to do research. Research leads to finding a cure for cancer, aids, and other illness that many people die. By deveopling drugs its prolongs the time period of death for many people.
This sounds like a great organization and is what our society needs right now. We need our physicians prescribing only what the patients needs, not what they want because they saw and advertisement on the tv. Physicians should also write prescriptions for medications they know about, not necessarily one from pharmaceutical companies they have been "bought" by. Pharmaceutical companies will do anything to make money and if it requires heavy advertising and giving free samples and gifts for physicians, they're going to do it. Informing people and physicians about pharmaceutical company's intentions will help to make sure people are receiving the treatment they need and the medications that will help them the most. As a patient, I would feel more comfortable and confident in the care I am receiving if I knew it was something that can be scientifically backed and not necessarily something that pharmaceutical companies are pushing on physicians.
this is a great idea. the idea of pharmaceutical companies "buying" doctors is a fact of the matter. this is something that cannot be stopped. pharmaceutical companies are doing their part to get out knowledge of better and stronger medications. yes, the advertising will effect the common public, they will possibly being to over medicate or possibly be miss diagnosed or possibly given medication that was suggest by a doctor because he was "bought" by the pharmaceutical company, however it has its benefits as well. this is because stronger/better medications when prescribed correctly will help the public and help them prolong life, which is the most important part.
I think this is an organization that all doctors should be a part of, or at least look at. Pharmaceutical companies spend lots of money creating products to give to doctors to remind them of their drugs. As much as doctors would like to say that they are not "bought" by pharmaceutical companies, I'm sure that they remember the drug that is on their new pens. If they have heard about a drug from a drug rep, they may be more likely to prescribe it, but I'm sure that they are not told of the side effects. When people go into the doctors office, they expect medications and treatments that are going to be prescribed to help them. We as a society need to want to change if we want to move away from taking so much medication. Doctors should be able to provide alternatives to medications though, or less severe ones that have less side effects.
Whenever we turn on the television we are bombarded with direct to consumer advertising. Through these advertisements, pharmaceutical companies are trying to sell us their product. What most people don't know is that besides the fact that they are trying to sell their product to the consumer they are also trying to bribe doctors to distribute them. Unfortunately these bribes have the ability to guide clinic practices, when this should not be the case.
This site, No Free Lunch, brings this fact to the attention of the people. Furthermore it encourages all heath care providers to resist the temptation of free samples, gifts, and food, to ignore the bribes of the drug companies, and instead to practice medicine on the basis of scientific evidence.
I really agree with the no free lunch nonprofit organization. There are many things wrong with bribing physicians with all sorts of gifts to promote pharmaceutical endeavors. A person in my family works for a pharmaceutical company and everyday she would talk about all the food that the reps got catered in when they were in meetings promoting their drugs. She would also receive free pens, blankets, tickets to sporting events, and so on. Then the company started to lose money and instead of getting rid of the excess spending it decided it could cut back on hundreds of employees. All of the gifts were more important to them then hundreds of peoples’ lives at stake, especially during one of the worst times this economy has experienced. I think the whole idea of trying to persuade physicians is bogus and frivolous. It makes me extremely nervous about the modes of our healthcare system. There have been many new drugs promoted by doctors and years later there are a bunch of lawsuits over people who lost loved ones from them. Especially when it comes to new drugs and poor FDA regulation, I think it is best to do more studies before giving out samples and pushing people to try new things. Yes we can see short term effects, but we do not know what the future outcomes of these drugs will be. I do not care that it brings more people to seek medical attention. Health is more important than profit. I think more ethical standards need to be created to stop this lower quality care.
i do think that pharmaceutical companies have a huge influence on doctors and individuals.They like to promote their products through gifts such as pens, clipboards, and/or notepads. i feel that this way of getting their product out is very inventive. i think this site is a good idea and should be published better because in the end it is about helping the people.
I think there are positive and negative effects of pharmaceutical promotions. Yes, it takes away most of the scientic evidence, but even with backup literature, there still can be biased/limited results from these studies. As physicians' standpoint and by receiving information from drug reps, it gives them an opportunity to create more business to their own practice. More and more potential clients can come in for check ups and seek professional help by hearing from these drug advertisement. Although, I think it is ridiculous that drug reps try to "win" the physicians to buy their products, but then again, a lot of this happens throughout life too. This can be interpreted either positive or negative, that the physician is now in control of what knowledge they have and cannot rely on drug reps for the current drug available. It lets the physician take charge of what can be prescribed and create a better relationship with the patients.
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ReplyDeleteI think that it is good that this program is staying away from all the pharmaceutical companies. They are really trying to focus on the patient care. This company feels that they should just focus on the science behind illnesses and to fix these illnesses with information that has already been proven to work. They feel that drug companies try to bribe physicians into recommending their products with all of their free gifts and lunches they give away. I feel that more medical personnel should follow what this company is doing, and not be persuaded to buy into these pharmaceutical companies and to pay more attention to their patients and what they need
ReplyDeleteI think that this is actually a really great website for patients and physicians to use because it allows them to break away from the pharmaceutical companies. I think that doctors should not depend on drug reps and gifts in order for them to prescribe their patients medications. Doctors are the ones that went to medical school and learned what drugs should be given to their patients, so they should be the ones running their practices not drug reps. It is very easy to get caught up in the bribes and free samples, but at the end of the day you have to question whether or not this is really benefiting your patient. I can understand that there are many new drugs out there that probably have helped many people, but at the same time drugs like Vioxx have been the leading cause in many heart problems and if doctors had really taken the time to check out the drug maybe we could have reduced this problem. It seems more important for these doctors to get close to their patients and understand where they are coming from rather than writing them a prescription for a new drug on the market.
ReplyDeleteI think that many of us don't realize how much the advertising of pharmaceuticals impacts both patients and physicians. I think that this organization is great in that its attempts are to stop the negative influence of drug and pharmaceutical representative advertising. The idea that some physicians are essentially bribed by pharmaceutal companies using enticements such as free trips and free diners in exchange for drug promotion via drug prescription is ridiculous and unprofessional. The fact that some drugs are prescribed by physicians who neglect their side effects, simply to fulfill the wants of pharmaceutical companies is horrible. In the end, although it is up to the doctor to make the right decision pertaining to prescriptions, perhaps the existance of organizations such as "no free lunch" is the start to an ethical revelation for many physicians who have been long blinded by money-grabbing pharmaceutical companies.
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ReplyDeleteI think that this is a good way for people to break away from the biases that pharmaceutical companies will push on both physicians and the general public. I don’t think it is right how much money these drug companies spend on trying to lure doctors into giving away their product. I don’t just blame the pharmaceutical companies but I also blame the doctors that accept the bribes of free items and meals in exchange for using a certain company’s drug over another drug that they may already know about. Hopefully, programs like this one will be used more often to help switch the focus back to patient care and away from the focus on a profit.
ReplyDeleteI think this website addresses some great points regarding the pharmaceutical companies. The pursuasion that occurs between the doctors and the drug reps is one issue, but the easy signature of the doctor is another. If a person has a blood pressure problem and they have attempted to fix the problem with diet and exercise and the increased blood pressure exists, then maybe a drug should be recommended for treatment. However, when a patient walks in and tells the doctor which treatment plan based on a drug advertisement they saw, and the doctors just easily say yes and sign away, that is a problem! I don't think we should completely avoid prescribing medications, but I think that doctors and other practitioners should provide all of the different treatment options and encourage to patients to change the controllable factors first. I also think that policies around insurance companies and timing in the medical institution should be corrected so that a doctor can sit down with a patient for more than a few minutes to screen and explain different treatment options.
ReplyDeleteThis is very interesting... I agree with what they are trying to do. It seems that the goal of the organization is to reduce the amount of influence/pressure health care professionals experience from pharmaceutical companies. This is a good thing but if that is the case then why is it only the pharmaceutical companies being targeted? There are many other companies that may sponsor similar events (i.e. medical equipment companies, insurance companies, etc.). I just don't think that it should be limited as it seems to be.
ReplyDeleteThis organization is needed for the spread of the idea of "no free lunch" and the abolishment of pharmaceutical companies advertisement. There needs to be more recognition to the fact of how much these advertisements and campaigns and free promo gifts influence our every day decisions. It makes sense that these gifts, free lunches, and other free gimmicks would would influence doctors and patients alike. If you had two friends exactly the same except for one always pays for your meal, the other does not, which one are you more likely to hang out with? We are influenced by these DTC advertisements, gimmicks and promotions all the time without thinking twice about the real cause of their presence. "No Free Lunch" and their campaign against these pharmaceutical bribes is the first step to having a more effective and efficient medical system.
ReplyDeleteThis organization is much needed. It occurs too often that professionals in any field become compromised from benefits or marketing techniques within their field and I believe this is one of the largest examples. We constantly see new pharmaceutical drugs marketed through pens and clipboards alone in the doctors office. I believe doctors need an unbiased approach when it comes to medicine. They should base their "choice of drug" on research alone instead of who provides the most free benefits. "No Free Lunch" is a great idea but advertisements such as this are present in every aspect of today's life, much like Eric D states. We constantly see free promotions in every aspect in today's society. Whether it is food or medicine the promotion is there. I think this is a great idea but think pharmaceutical companies will always have some influence on doctors in the field.
ReplyDeleteI think this organization and website are great ideas. It is important for people who are uninformed to have a non-biased place to go to get information. I agree that healthcare providers who support pharmaceutical promotion should not be involved in clinical care. I also like how they have literature that proves how pharmaceutical companies have bribed customers with gifts and food over the years. Another thing I like is that the website provides assistance not only information.
ReplyDeleteI don't think it's only the pharmaceutical companies at fault. I think the doctors need to stand up for their practice and just because the patient wants a drug doesn't mean you give it to them.
I think this website and organization are a very good idea. I think that it is a necessary thing to have people understand the true meanings behinf certain medicines and prescriptions. The advertisments on tv do not give complete view into the real effects of the drug. The advertisements show the positive effects in the images of the commercials but only say the negative effects. Many people who want these prescriptions only want the positive effects and don't fully understand the bad side effects. I think that this organization whould be more public and people should really understand what they are getting when they are prescribed a certain medicine.
ReplyDeleteI think this is a great website, but it is too bad we have had to resort to this method. We have professional doctors with 6 to 8 years of college that were taught how to find and treat people who have an illness or disease. We should not, as patients, have to worry about the doctors being ethical, bought off by pharmaceutical companies or even being coerced by patients who saw an advertisement and they believe they have that problem. Doctors should be professional enough to look and evaluate what each patients needs, and they should be keeping up with the new/old medicines to find out side affects and how they really work. They should not be taking a salesman word for it. I was totally suprised to hear that the advertisements increased their sales, I really thought that since the doctors had the final say, that it didn't matter what was being advertised, the doctor would prescribe what was best for their patient.
ReplyDeleteI think this organization is innovative in recognizing a very serious problem that exists in the relationship between doctors and pharmaceutical companies. The website states that No Free Lunch believes that there is a significant connection between the gifts and meals and promotions that drug companies offer and the drugs that doctors end up prescribing. I agree completely with this organization that pharmaceutical companies should not be influencing how doctors treat patients and what medications they end up prescribing. It must be very difficult to be in this minority of doctors that make an honest effort to remain objective and rely on actual clinical research and not gifts or vacations to decide what medications to prescribe. I think it is also important that there is an medical student level to this organization. This ensures that there will be future doctors that will graduate already participating in this alternative system. I think that this organization is a good start towards limiting the role that pharmaceutical companies play in the medicine and health.
ReplyDeleteI think that overall this non-profit organization is a great idea. Its showing that some health care providers aren't going to put up wiht pharmacuetical companies coming in and trying to run the show. It shows the determination of some healthcare providers to not compromise what they have gone to school so long to learn..quality healthcare. Its a doctors job to make sure they are prescribing cost effective drugs. They shouldn't have to have sales reps urge them to prescribe their drugs. Like the website says, there are plenty of sources for doctors to get information about the newest drugs out there, why stupe down to the level where you only learn through what a sales rep tell you?..I find it somewhat crazy that doctors can just be bought things like lunch or vacations and then start prescribing a drug more often..how does that help us as their patients? ..I decided to look for doctors in my area and found only 4 doctors in Maine that had taken the No Lunch Pledge, whereas back home in Massachusetts there were 25 doctors who had taken the pledge within a fifty mile radius of my house...I would have liked to see those numbers a lot higher. Hopefully the word will spread and more healthcare providers will hear about this website. I guess we will just have to wait and see.
ReplyDeleteI think No Free Lunch is a great non-profit organization that many healthcare providers should look into. Although many people do not believe it, but pharmacuetical companies hold alot of power in our society's healthcare system. They clearly are in it for the money and not for patient health because they bribe physicians, nurse practioners, etc. to prescribe their drug even though it could possible be the equivalent of IB profen just more expensive. I looked in the directory to see if any healthcare providers in the New England area had joined and their were a few but not many. Hopefully No Free Lunch can promote their website more and atrract more attention because this organization will benefit patient healthcare in the long run.
ReplyDeleteI think it's a shame that physicians are influenced by drug reps. One would think that after years of schooling, residencies, etc, that they would be well aware of the fact that they are taking the side of the corporation over the patient, the person that they took the Hippocratic Oath to protect.
ReplyDeleteHowever, being employed by a pharmacy - many of these brand new drugs that come about really work wonders and are safer than the generics out there. Many name brand thyroid medications (though expensive) are far more effective than the generics. Also, inhalers and birth controls are constantly being rotated and updated to ensure that the patient is given the best option available for them.
I understand that the bottom line of No Free Lunch's message is for Doctor's to not be tainted by a drug rep but with the "free samples" that the website so easily denounced are really great for patients. Usually by the time the patient or prescriber runs out of the samples, they either came to the decision that 1.) the tablet isn't for them or 2.) there is a generic out on the market. Also, many state laws make it a requirement that generic drugs are dispensed at a pharmacy as opposed to the name brand unless specifically stated by a doctor (which involves a lot of paperwork on their part in order for 3rd party to pay for it which usually a physician may not have time for if there is an equivalently successful generic on the market).
As a student, I personally enjoy my colorful pens and free mugs with random medications branded on them that get dropped off at the pharmacy, but if a doctor can be influenced by a pen or a cup then you have to ask yourself why you are seeing that doctor in the first place. Let's be honest - your health is your responsibility and you have every right to speak to your doctor about what they are prescribing and asking for alternatives.
I agree with many of the previous posts. The basis behind this organization is one I think is beneficial for all parties involved. By not giving into pharmaceutical promotions, it is bringing back the science in the clinical field. Clinicians should be able to determine what drugs and prescriptions are best suited for situations at hand based solely on the chemistry behind these drugs.
ReplyDeleteI think in some cases, of course, some of the drugs being promoted may be legitimate, but in these cases why is it necessary to bribe physicians with pens, mugs, etc. If a drug is suitable for prescription it should not be because of a free gift.
No Free Lunch is a good step toward getting society back to making decisions based on science, not advertising and media. It is important that physicians start looking at what's really in these drugs that are being promoted instead of just accepting a pitch from a sales rep.
No Free Lunch is moving in a positive direction for healthcare by attempting to eliminate DTC advertising. Without the push of pharmaceutical companies pressuring physicians to hand out drugs freely, the physicians can use more scientifically based medical knowledge to provide a treatment plan to their patients. I think it will lead toward more demedicalization of the more recently medicalized diseases. It will allow for more legitimate treatment plans and lean away from easy drug fixes.
ReplyDeleteI think this company could have a positive influence on the medical community and society as a whole. They have the evidence to back up their argument that physicians tend to supply more unnecessary drugs to their patients when promoted by drug reps. No Free Lunch can really make a positive change to the biomedical way our healthcare system is run.
As some have mentioned, this issue lies much deeper than pharmaceutical companies. Sure pressure from reps/patients/media, free gifts and the newest trends in drugs impact practitioners the ultimate decision to prescribe a drug hinders on the doc. This organization makes a great point that doctors need to use their medical knowledge to make a quality decision when it comes to prescriptions. Like all of us have been taught, don't prescribe anything to a patient that either you yourself haven't experienced or know the proven outcome of what you prescribe.
ReplyDeleteThis website and organization is a great idea. The word just need to get out to other Doctors, Nurses, Physicians Assistants, etc. Drug company representatives are baiting people in the health care industury through gimics and complimentary gifts. Unfornately, many health care practicitioners are taking the bait hook, line, and sinker. Many may not want to believe it but they are being highly influenced to prescribe certain drugs, for they are getting free stuff from the companies. Doctors and other practicitioners need to be more informed about these drugs such as side effects good and bad, and these drugs need more testing so doctors can know about any other unknown side effects. Health care practicitioners need to be differed from being influenced and taking the bait from these drug companies. The word just needs to get out not only to health practictioners, but also patients. If patient's new about these drug companies then patients may be more apt to only trust or see Doctors who refuse to take the gimics from drug companies.
ReplyDeleteNo Free Lunch is a great idea. This organization brings up a good point in that pharmaceutical companies are always looking to make more money than they already are and not really focusing on the actual health of the patient. Doctor's, nurses, and other companies need to realize this and not follow along with the pharmaceutical promotional ideas on different drugs.They should focus on scientific evidence of how and what certain drugs do and how they can affect the patients. I never thought of it this way and it brings up a really good point that I am sure other people do not see as well.
ReplyDeleteThe No Free Lunch organization is a great idea. I have seen from a very young age the effects of pharmaceutical reps. My mother works for CMMC and she has brought home so many pens, pencils, highlighters, sticky notes, and other paraphernalia that has started taking over our house. I have also been to many of the 'free lunches' provided by drug reps. As the studies have stated all the reps do is push, push, and push even if the physician is not interested. They give out very limited information and refer to clinical trails by never elaborate on them even when questioned about it.
ReplyDeleteI think promotion of new treatments is a good thing but I do not feel that drug reps do it in the appropriate way. As many of the other have said, all they care about is the promotion of the drug compared to the patients. I think if more and more people start campaigns such as No Free Lunch we will see a change in the way drug reps go about their jobs.
I intern at a health care facility where students rely on affordable or even free health care. This particular facility, where free health care is often provided, rely on the pharmaceutical companies that give away free samples to give to financially unstable students when in need. I think a lot of people overlook the positives that the pharmaceutical companies provide to places like the health center that I intern at. Yes, it is an advertising ploy, but more importantly, they generate a relationship with a health care facility which allows the reps to have the ability to give away a lot of free product and samples that are of no cost to students. The nurse practitioners here pride themselves upon the fact that they can utilize these free samples to give to patients who embody the underprivilegded student in the health care realm. In this aspect, I disagree with the "No Free Lunch" organization because pharmaceutical companies do indeed benefit some health care facilities and professions like the one at which I intern. Such student-friendly health care is really appreciated by families with extensive financial burdens, like many average families in the US. From an overall standpoint, however, the "No Free Lunch" organization does implicate some positive aspects such as that of putting the care of the patient first, and resisting annoying presures from overbearing pharmaceutical companies. From my personal experience, nonetheless, I do believe that not all pharmaceutical reps are out there trying to pressure and change the ways of the health care field. Some really are providing insight into new products and pride themselves about being able to give away samples to more underprivilegded people.
ReplyDeleteI think that while pharmaceutical promotions are not in themselves bad and could be used to improve care, their current form is much more harmful than helpful. It is far too easy for drug companies to only report statistics that favor their drugs, and either downplay or completely ignore the negative aspects. This problem is only compounded by the FDA’s limited power to police the companies, resulting advertisements that provide a lot of misinformation. Regardless of what the companies claim it is quite obvious that the advertisements have a huge impact on both consumers and physicians, because if they served no purpose the drug companies would not pour millions into the media. As has been discussed in class it creates an unnecessary pressure on the physicians and leads to changes in their diagnostic procedure. Patients arrive with a list of drugs hoping for cures to problems that have been over-generalized and misrepresented. Even when the patients are legitimately suffering from a condition there are often better ways to go about treatment, but these advertisements reinforce the quick fix attitude that pervades our society. In the end it leads to widespread over prescription of potentially dangerous drugs. There are some positives, such as patients visiting the doctor when they otherwise would not. This leads to physicals and screenings necessary for the drugs, which can uncover underlying conditions. There are better ways to promote increased visits to the doctor however, and currently the negatives far outweigh the positives.
ReplyDeleteI never really realized how much of an impact the pharmaceutical companies and drug reps had on doctors and patients when it came to prescribing medicine and asking for medicine until we read that article for class. I think that the website Changing Behavior and the nonprofit organization No FREE Lunch is a great way to not only spread awareness to the public but also to doctors and medical students who are going to become doctors, that they don't have to sell their soul to the devil to be a good doctor. It is time that someone take a stand whether it be the medical students, practicing doctors and physicians or the patients.
ReplyDeleteThe promotion of drugs by these pharmaceutical companies and drug reps is not only putting more drugs out on the market but also putting unnecessary drugs into patients medicine cabinets that don't need to be there. It is also turning the general public into doctors. Now a days everyone wants that magic pill that will make their lives better; whether it be to loose weight, take away their pain, make them happy, or make them rich. When people see commercials and ad's advertising these prescription drugs they think, "oh I have that", "maybe that will help me", "I have all those symptoms, I need that drug." When in all reality it is probably not the right drug for them, and in the end is actually going to create more problems for them. This kind of advertisement has taken the doctors and physicians role of prescribing the right medicine to their patients and put it into the hands of the patients.
As an aspiring pharmacy student, I think that pharmaceutical companies and drug reps get to much bad rep. They are simply doing their job. There are new medications on the market all the time, and without them promoting these medications, how will Dr.’s know what is out there. I think that it is pretty scary that many Dr.’s can be persuaded by pens, pads, staplers, food…etc. If they are that easily persuaded, how can we trust that our health is in their best interest? I would like to see the drug companies not have such a bad reputation. Pharmacists are known as an encyclopedia of medicine. Without that knowledge, and without that knowledge being spread, many Dr.’s would not be updated on what is out there. I guess I would like to see people be a little more harsh on the practitioners because they are the ones accepting all the material, the drug reps are just doing there job.
ReplyDeletei do think that pharmaceutical companies have a huge influence on doctors and individuals. a lot of pharmaceutical companies like to promote their drugs through gifts and products, and im not going to lie, i have pens and clipboards with drug names on them. i think this is a good way to get products out for people to know about as well as doctors. but it is also beneficial for doctors and their offices to not be persuaded by these free gifts. i think this site is a good idea and should be more well known because in the end it is about helping the people and thats the most important part.
ReplyDeleteI believe this is a great program for health care providers and the general public to check out, in order to break free from the lure of pharmaceutical companies. This "no free lunch" debate arises from concerns that pharmaceutical companies influence on doctors, leads to a medical model, biased towards ever increasing prescribing, a situation which favors pharmaceutical companies over patients and society. Pharma companies realize that in order for their products to find a market, they must first influence the health care providers that prescribe them. Why else would a company, in which profits are key, spend money on gifts and food if they felt it would have no impact on behavior? Drugs definitely play a key role in health care, however, health care providers need to avoid influence from companies with a profit agenda in order to better treat patients.
ReplyDeleteThere are good and bad things about this program. Good in the terms that doctors pharmacist and patients are trying to be influence by the science rather than the pharmachetical companies. As talked before in class there are more negatives to direct consumer ads then there are positive. By giving companies free pens notepads etc promotes their drug discretely everyone loves "free" stuff. We also have to think that all the money we spend on drugs goes to pharmacheutical companies to do research. Research leads to finding a cure for cancer, aids, and other illness that many people die. By deveopling drugs its prolongs the time period of death for many people.
ReplyDeleteThis sounds like a great organization and is what our society needs right now. We need our physicians prescribing only what the patients needs, not what they want because they saw and advertisement on the tv. Physicians should also write prescriptions for medications they know about, not necessarily one from pharmaceutical companies they have been "bought" by. Pharmaceutical companies will do anything to make money and if it requires heavy advertising and giving free samples and gifts for physicians, they're going to do it.
ReplyDeleteInforming people and physicians about pharmaceutical company's intentions will help to make sure people are receiving the treatment they need and the medications that will help them the most. As a patient, I would feel more comfortable and confident in the care I am receiving if I knew it was something that can be scientifically backed and not necessarily something that pharmaceutical companies are pushing on physicians.
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ReplyDeletethis is a great idea. the idea of pharmaceutical companies "buying" doctors is a fact of the matter. this is something that cannot be stopped. pharmaceutical companies are doing their part to get out knowledge of better and stronger medications. yes, the advertising will effect the common public, they will possibly being to over medicate or possibly be miss diagnosed or possibly given medication that was suggest by a doctor because he was "bought" by the pharmaceutical company, however it has its benefits as well. this is because stronger/better medications when prescribed correctly will help the public and help them prolong life, which is the most important part.
ReplyDeleteI think this is an organization that all doctors should be a part of, or at least look at. Pharmaceutical companies spend lots of money creating products to give to doctors to remind them of their drugs. As much as doctors would like to say that they are not "bought" by pharmaceutical companies, I'm sure that they remember the drug that is on their new pens. If they have heard about a drug from a drug rep, they may be more likely to prescribe it, but I'm sure that they are not told of the side effects. When people go into the doctors office, they expect medications and treatments that are going to be prescribed to help them. We as a society need to want to change if we want to move away from taking so much medication. Doctors should be able to provide alternatives to medications though, or less severe ones that have less side effects.
ReplyDeleteWhenever we turn on the television we are bombarded with direct to consumer advertising. Through these advertisements, pharmaceutical companies are trying to sell us their product. What most people don't know is that besides the fact that they are trying to sell their product to the consumer they are also trying to bribe doctors to distribute them. Unfortunately these bribes have the ability to guide clinic practices, when this should not be the case.
ReplyDeleteThis site, No Free Lunch, brings this fact to the attention of the people. Furthermore it encourages all heath care providers to resist the temptation of free samples, gifts, and food, to ignore the bribes of the drug companies, and instead to practice medicine on the basis of scientific evidence.
I really agree with the no free lunch nonprofit organization. There are many things wrong with bribing physicians with all sorts of gifts to promote pharmaceutical endeavors. A person in my family works for a pharmaceutical company and everyday she would talk about all the food that the reps got catered in when they were in meetings promoting their drugs. She would also receive free pens, blankets, tickets to sporting events, and so on. Then the company started to lose money and instead of getting rid of the excess spending it decided it could cut back on hundreds of employees. All of the gifts were more important to them then hundreds of peoples’ lives at stake, especially during one of the worst times this economy has experienced. I think the whole idea of trying to persuade physicians is bogus and frivolous. It makes me extremely nervous about the modes of our healthcare system. There have been many new drugs promoted by doctors and years later there are a bunch of lawsuits over people who lost loved ones from them. Especially when it comes to new drugs and poor FDA regulation, I think it is best to do more studies before giving out samples and pushing people to try new things. Yes we can see short term effects, but we do not know what the future outcomes of these drugs will be. I do not care that it brings more people to seek medical attention. Health is more important than profit. I think more ethical standards need to be created to stop this lower quality care.
ReplyDeletei do think that pharmaceutical companies have a huge influence on doctors and individuals.They like to promote their products through gifts such as pens, clipboards, and/or notepads. i feel that this way of getting their product out is very inventive. i think this site is a good idea and should be published better because in the end it is about helping the people.
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