Are pharmasudical reps really necessary? do you think they cause the price of prescriptions to go up?

Answer 1

I think this is a great question. As a physician I personally struggle with the concept of these drug reps. They are everywhere and they have a way of getting your attention. I also have been offered a variety of free items.

I have many thoughts about this issue and the price of medications and I think there is a larger issue at play here. I recently went to Australia to do some cases. There in Australia they have Reps just like the US. They also brought me lunch like here but the conversation at lunch was the following, "we want everyone to know that we cut the price of {blank} anti-depressant in half and got it added to the Australian national drug list. I was interested (and not realizing I was american) I asked how the company performed this cost cut. She told me that the company simply raised the price of the drug in the American market to pay for the drop in price in the socialized Australian market.

Maybe our government needs to do more and we should let companies spend there money anyway they want in marketing but I personally believe reps are kinda like washington lobbiers, they have too much access and influence.

Answer 2

Pharmaceutical manufacturers need someone to sell their products for them (doctors sure don't go to the mfg. to buy the drugs). Sales reps need something to pay for their efforts. The reps know the best way to sell the mfg.'s drugs is through a doctor. The more a doctor prescribes (to their patients) the more money the rep and mfg. make. The doctor also receives a 'kick back', from the mfg., for prescribing the drugs. Since drugs are so expensive, I'd like to know where the very first cost increase occurs and how to keep drugs at a affordable cost.

Answer 3

No. And yes...they are necessary. They do more than pass out medications to docs and give freebies to staff....they are also a big part of nurses education when introducing a new medication or teaching about the ones that have been out for awhile. It's very helpful to the nursing staff. We learn about how these medications effect the patients. Plus we usually get a free lunch out of it....and credit for CEU's towards our license.

Answer 4

NO doubt in my mind that the reps increase the cost of medications. All those cute little "freebies" like cups, pens calendars, soup to nuts really, are NOT free. We all pay for them as their cost is added to that of the meds they are peddalling. Not to mention the cost of travel, hotels, meals and a wage for the rep. Seems to me there would be a good many less expensive ways to advertise medications to doctors and pharmacists.

Answer 5

yes, they are the cause of rising costs. they're not even needed... unless they're taking a Dr's office to lunch!! Guess who pays for that... WE DO!! They need to promote their drug and the more they go visit the office, the more samples get dropped off, the more they're dispersed, the more people are on them and convince themselves the drug actually works- thus getting a prescription for it and being on it forever and ever- making that company millions and millions in the long run.

Answer 6

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