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Independent education of doctors about drugs
Ed Boyapati (17/4) comment on drug companies is absolutely correct on one point. The pharmaceutical industry should be expected to use all the usual promotional and marketing techniques other businesses use. They should be expected to push any controlling guidelines to the very limit in the pursuit of their primary legitimate business interest: profit for shareholders. The industry is not the problem. The problem is the response of the Government and of doctors to the promotional power of the industry. The result is the prescription of many new and more expensive drugs in situations where there is no appreciable benefit, except to drug company profits. The Government spends about $5 million per year educating doctors about drugs. The industry spends about $750 million promoting their products to doctors. The power of that promotional dollar could be massively reduced if the Government chose to invest appropriately in independent education of doctors. Instead of $5 million, what about $100 million, ie 4% of the wasteful private health insurance rebate? But that would reduce the power and profits of the pharmaceutical industry. Does the Government have the courage? Or will they simply ask everyone to pay more for their scripts?
Tim Woodruff, National President published in The Age, 18 April 2002 |
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