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March 13, 2008, 6:16 pm
Flag as Inappropriate gbyrd  

ABC interviewed a former Eli Lilly Rep who spilled the beans on how she would wine and dine doctors and mislead them on the affectiveness of drugs. It also doesn't help that shes an ex-model.

Shahram Ahari, who spent two years selling Prozac and Zypraxa for Eli Lily, told a Senate Aging Committee chaired by Sen. Herb Kohl, D-Wisc., that his job involved "rewarding physicians with gifts and attention for their allegiance to your product and company despite what may be ethically appropriate."

Ahari claims that drug companies like hiring former cheerleaders and ex-models, as well as former athletes and members of the military, many of whom have no background in science.

"On my first day of sales class, among 21 trainees and two instructors, I was the only one with any level of college-level science education," Ahari told ABCNews.com on Tuesday.

During their five-week training class, Ahari claims that instructors teach sales tactics, including how to exceed spending limits for important clients, being generous with free samples to leverage sales, using friendships and personal gifts to foster a "quid pro quo" relationship, and how to exploit sexual tension.

"The nature of this business is gift-giving," says Ahari. He claims that he's heard stories about sales reps helping to pay the cost of a doctor's swimming pool and another doctor who was routinely taken to a nightclub where a hostess was paid to keep him company.

Drug reps develop a positive view of their drug and a negative view of the competitors, according to Ahari. "You drink the Kool-Aid. We were taught to minimize the side effects and how to use conversational ploys to minimize it or to change the topic."

According to Ahari, the benefits could be lucrative for sales reps, who tended to earn more than researchers. On top of a base salary for starting reps of $50,000, "there were four quarterly bonuses, an annual bonus, stock options, a car, 401K, great health benefits, and a $60,000 expense account."

Source

ABC News

http://abcnews.go.com/US/story?id=4438095&page=1

Sales is sales. The doctors have to take the high road on this one and "just say no" to these obvious techniques. They are, after all, the medical professionals; big pharma and its reps are always going to try for the close...many by any means possible. Regulation of sales techniques? Pleease.

I agree. However not all doctors are going to take the high road, thats why they teach reps the things they do.

I think this is very sad. Pharmaceutical companies make a large enough profit without breaking the law. This is morally incomprehensible. I hope those physicians are identified and charged as well.

This one of many reasons why as a patient you have to be very diligent about the quality of care you are receiving. You can't just assume medical care is good care...because, obviously, some is not.

I don't think this will go away so long as the health care system stays in its current form.

Drug companies make a lot more money on drugs that treat symptoms than on cures. They make lots more on the same drugs in the US than in other countries.

This won't go away until the pharmaceutical market in the US changes.

Drug companies give doctors and hospitals many free things if they buy the drugs from them. On drug company caters lunch for the doctors and nurses several times a week at a hospital.

I'm not sure how I feel about this but as one poster said, "A sale is a sale." Too bad these same drug companies don't lower their prices so their patients can afford the meds.

This has been common practice for years. There's always been huge incentives for doctors to prescribe medications.

I agree with skatss...these companies could lower their costs if they stopped the practice as well as lobbying to protect their interests. They'd more than make up what they already spend in sales to consumers.