Tuesday, January 16, 2007

No Free Lunch

Is it wrong to acccept free lunch and fancy dinners from drug reps? Will this somehow influence what medicines i am more likely to prescribe in the coming future? i would like to think not, but many in the profession, including members of the nofreelunch campaign, backed up by strong consumer data demonstrating the simple magic of modern advertising, seem to think otherwise. but when a student is expected to cough up 200 grand for a medical education these days, how can one pass up daily catered meals at a noontime conference sponsored by Merck or Astra Zaneca? I havent been able to yet. And the placard of pens emboldened with drug names, including Lipitor and Levitra in the mixed company of Zocor and Viagra, each dangling and dueling colorfully from the multi-overstuffed pockets of my lab coat, seem to confirm that. http://www.nofreelunch.org/index.htm

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