Transcript PPT Example Good

The Iron Grip of Pharmaceutical
Companies
David Chelnick
Ask your doctor about…
How do drug companies influence
doctors & patients, and what can be
done?
Although legislation exists to
disclose financial relationships,
additional regulation is required
to mitigate the adverse affects of
over-prescribing drugs.
Overview
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1.Drug companies’ power over doctors
2.Drug companies' power over patients
3.Consequences of over-prescribing
4.How to resolve the issues at hand
Vicious Cycle
Drug Companies
promote drugs
Doctors and patients
want prescriptions
Drug companies
make $$$
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Influence on the Physician
Pharmaceutical Companies' Influence
25%
of doctors are paid by drug
companies for lectures
and endorsements
Pharmaceutical Companies' Influence
66%
of doctors receive free
meals from drug company
representatives
Disclosure…
Sunshine Laws
The Patient Protection and
Affordable Care Act (PPACA)
“Obamacare”
Sunshine Laws
• Obama Administration:
–About 1,100 drug and device
makers must report payments to
doctors
–$10,000 fine
Disclosure so far…?
$761.3 million
As of April 2012
$31,647,101
•Nexium
•Crestor
•Symbicort
$85,263,683
•Advair
•Paxil
•Zofran
$176,247,405
•Celebrex
•Lipitor
•Lyrica
•Viagra
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Influence on the Patient
4
Power over the patient
33%
of patients who have seen
ads have spoken to their
doctor about an advertised
drug.
Power over the patient
Of those consumers,
28%
asked for prescriptions
Power over the patient
80%
of such requests were granted
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Consequences of this
relationship
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Journal of the American Medical Association:
60%
Up to
of all
prescriptions in the U.S. are
written for drugs being used in a
fashion other than their approved
purpose
Antibiotics…
20%
are prescribed for sinus
infections (viral or
bacterial)
Be careful!
More antibiotics= more
antibiotic resistant bacteria
Dr. Margaret Chan, director general of the
World Health Organization:
“This will be a post-antibiotic
era…things as common as strep throat
or a child’s scratched knee could once
again kill”
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Can we solve our
problems?
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A simple solution
More regulation of money given
to doctors by drug companies
A simple solution
Continue to disclose any
financial relationships
(At least keep this part of the
healthcare bill!)
A simple solution
If we must…
Regulate prescribing doctors
Talk to your doctor…