DomainK Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 It was quite sometime ago.....may be a year or so. I had irritation in my eyes and they were turning red. After a few days I visited an ophthalmologist. He said that it was happening because of dandruff in my hair. Dandruff falls on your eyelids and eventually enters the eye and causes the problem" he said. "But doc, I have no dandruff" "Dandruff can be sometimes invisible. The particles can be so small that you cant see them and hence dont realize that you actually have dandruff." He was the pro...so I accepted his judgment. He prescribed one eye drop, a couple of things to rub on wet hair everyday for three months at least and then once every 3/4 days for the rest of my life, a hair cream, a conditioner (he said it contained no protein) and a shampoo to use instead my usual brand. I spoke to my father about it and he pointed out that all the hair care products came from the same brand. I suspected foul play and used only the eye drop. One drop in the morning, one in the evening and the irritation was gone. I used it for one more day and stopped using it. Then I waited to see if the dandruff brings it back. It never came back. A few days ago I ran into an old friend who works for a big Pharma company in marketing. We decided to have lunch on sunday and yesterday we met in a restaurant. He was talking about his work and I narrated this story to him. He laughed and asked if an MR was sitting in the doc's cabin when he made the prescription. I said someone was there.....but I wasnt sure if it was an MR or not. He said that Pharma companies bribe docs in big ways and force them to sell their products. The MR would gift big things like television sets, refrigerators, medical instruments, air conditioners, cars etc and then would force them to sell their products. Many times they would sit in the doc's cabin and make sure that hep prescribed their brand only. So if a company wanted to sell their inferior haircare products, they would go to an ophthalmologist and force him to sell the products. Most possibly they would have created the dandruff bluff themselves and would have tried the same on many doctors and many patients. Then came the more horrible part of it: What if the doc is bribed by more than one pharma company? He would prescribe an overdose. So if you have fever, the doc would probably prescribe 3/4 different medicines from different brands with the same contents of paracetamol. They would do it carefully with unsuspecting patients who are less educated or careless enough not to read the contents and where an overdose would not be lethal. He said that MRs from different companies would sit and ensure that their products are prescribed..... doesn't matter if its an overdose. These practices happen on a large scale in small towns and to a lesser extent in big cities. Complications do arise in many cases due to overdose which gives them another opportunity of selling more drugs. "Whenever a doctor prescribes you something, give me a call and read me the contents. I will tell you what to take and what to avoid. Better even, I will tell you which doctor to go to." He said.
punjabi_khota Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 US recently passed some law severely restricting/banning gifts to doctors from pharma companies.
suma25 Posted January 12, 2009 Posted January 12, 2009 lol this is nothing some pharma companies gift docs honda accord, trip to mauritius ,all paid cruise trip ,if they prescribe their medicines .these practices are rampant in medical business in mumbai especillay in mira road bhayander area the doc from those areas are horrible .They actually ask the mr (medical reps)what are they gonna offer them in return for their services asin if they prescribe their medicines
beetle Posted January 13, 2009 Posted January 13, 2009 Gifts' to docs: Govt to meet drug cos 13 Jan 2009, 0430 hrs IST, Rupali Mukherjee, TNN \ NEW DELHI: Drug companies, that have been doling out freebies and sponsoring jaunts of doctors, may face problems with the government now stepping in to find ways to curb "unethical trade practices". In a first-ever instance, the government is meeting drug companies on Tuesday to find a mechanism to limit sales promotional expenses, which include gifts in cash or kind to doctors. "Drug companies need to limit promotional expenses and in certain cases unethical trade practices, which jack up prices of medicines for consumers. We need to have a proper mechanism in place, and see if it is being enforced", official sources said. Major companies including Ranbaxy, Pfizer, Cipla and Sun Pharma, and all industry bodies like Indian Pharmaceutical Alliance (IPA), Organisation of Pharmaceutical Producers of India (OPPI), Indian Drug Manufacturers Association and Confederation of Indian Pharma Industry are expected to be part of the exercise. Companies dole out huge amounts in the form of freebies, gifts, jaunts to promote drugs so that doctors prescribe their use to patients. These promotional costs form a huge component in the price of a drug. Promotional expenses also include trade margins, which the government has been trying to cap for sometime now. There are certain drugs sold in the market on which margins may be levied by retailers and wholesalers between 5 to 1000%, leading to a mark-up on prices. A medicine crosses different layers and sub-layers in the trade before it reaches a consumer. So if the manufacturing cost of a medicine strip is Rs 2, may be sold at Rs 50 in the market. The government plans to evolve a mechanism to limit these expenses, see that the code of ethics is implemented by companies and reviewed by external agencies, sources said. The move comes even as several countries are already brought in legislation to curb unethical promotional expenses, which may influence doctors in their prescriptions. Though there is a code of ethics for companies to follow, only a few are following them. Industry body, OPPI had devised a code of conduct nearly two years back which lays down clear guidelines on travel, international events, company sponsorships, entertainment expenses and gifts. http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/India/Gifts_to_docs_Govt_to_meet_drug_cos_/articleshow/3970694.cms
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