GlaxoSmithKline’s recent decision to restructure how it interacts with physicians has sent reverberations through the physician community.
The company, in the wake of over $3 billion in government fines levied for promoting off-label use of certain drugs, providing doctors with kickbacks for prescriptions, and other indiscretions is changing the way it does business.
The sales force is no longer paid by prescription volume, and physicians will no longer be paid to speak to their colleagues about its products or disease areas. They will also stop paying doctors to attend medical conferences. These changes will be phased in by 2016.
The reaction is mixed
Physicians have been reacting to the news with mixed emotions. Some welcome it as a great first step to total transparency between physicians and pharma. Some say it was the result of the Sunshine Act, a new law enacted earlier this year which requires physicians to report and pay taxes on all earnings from all sources including pharma. Some are urging even more reform including separating CMEs (continuing medical education credits) from the pharmaceutical industry.
Pharma and physicians do need to work together
While there has been controversy for years about the way doctors and pharma engage there are many ways they constructively come together. Physicians can help shape the development of new drugs, learn how best to prescribe new drugs to their patients, and provide critical field feedback as new drugs enter usage in the general population.
We did a poll recently about the areas physicians think should be limited or eliminated. 79% of physicians think signing contracts that dictate what diagnostic studies and treatments you can provide patients is a significant conflict of interest and 70% think pharmaceutical companies hiring “ghost writers” to write articles for journal submission should be stopped. Only 6% of physicians thought attending pharmaceutical-sponsored CME at national meetings was a significant conflict, something that Glaxo is now eliminating.
As a physician what do you think of the new Glaxo guidelines? Have you noticed any undue influence of pharma over any of your peers? If you could change things, what would you change? If you’re an M.D. or D.O. please head inside Sermo to continue the conversation.
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