Posted by Rick on April 28, 2004, at 1:21:15
In reply to Re: Drug makers deceive doctors » Dr. Bob, posted by Fallen4MyT on April 26, 2004, at 17:34:43
> Hey Rick I found this very intresting because I saw a 60 minutes on Neurontin and how it was pushed to docs by a dude that lied per his superiors on it., I am a firm believer that many drugs are overused and misued cause of this practice and the trips and all
Yeah, I remember reading all about that situation, Fallen4MyT. Pretty wild.
I do believe that companies should try to promote their drugs (hopefully pdocs are smart enough to sift through the pitches, though I'm a little more concerned about GP's). And I definitely believe in off-label uses where well supported. For instance, I take arguably the most effective social phobia med -- Klonopin -- but it never received an FDA indication for SP. And (speak of the devil), off-label Neurontin works wonders for my friend's periodic limb movements of sleep.
All that said, there is some deception and "sneakiness" going on out there that is troubling, especially since we're talking about products lives depend upon. These practices no doubt result in sometimes suboptimal treatments, overuse of some drugs (as you say), and needless expense.
Rick
poster:Rick
thread:340123
URL: http://www.dr-bob.org/babble/social/20040422/msgs/340876.html