Wednesday at the clinic is ‘pharm rep luncheon day’. This consists of one or two pharmaceutical representatives coming in to talk about their product(s). This is sometimes with a lecturer, but always with lunch.

Overall I don’t find pharm reps useful or necessary. I certainly don’t rely on them for education.  Pharm reps are a bit like used car salesmen, either trying to sell me something I already have or don’t want.

I traditionally don’t work with samples.  There was nowhere to store them; and I was the only one at clinic. And I don’t have time to schmooze with reps (even the pretty ones; most pharm reps are handsome fellows.  Coincidence? ).

With the arrival of the other doctor last year, this changed. He brought with him Rx samples and pharm reps. Prior, I haven’t seen their ilk in over five years.

Being a pharm rep seems a hard job.  Like airline personnel, they smile a lot and are upbeat and patient. And like flight attendants they have to deal with irascible demanding people viz. doctors, who can be childish and nasty (true!).

I admit, it is nice to have a ‘real lunch’ once a week and have some pleasant conversation about pharmacology.

Alas, pharm reps have to ‘stick with the protocol’ and can not answer the questions I really want to ask:

  • How do I use this product off-label?
  • What negative studies do you have in the back you won’t reveal?
  • Will you put out if I use your product? ***

I also admit I like to bear-bait them a bit, putting questions I know they can’t answer readily or easily.  Fun to see’em squirm a bit.

Many people are wary if downright hostile about doctors in cahoots with pharm reps.  Patients don’t want me be some ‘hired gun’, bribed to give out Summer Rain, yet they are often the first to complain when I have no samples to give them. You can’t have it both ways.

Someone, who worked in banking, tells me stories of lavish wining and dining and entertaining by their reps and salesmen; why should it be any different for Medicine?  I think there is a difference (which is one reason I did not associate with reps).  I think my decision making of treatment and medications are not influenced by whom I last saw for lunch.

I skip over the ‘dinner invitations’ not so much out of virtue, as I am too busy to sit still for an hour (despite the free eats) to hear about a Rx of which I  already use or know.

*** For the record, I have NEVER propositioned a pharm rep, not even that really handsome one who represented a (now generic) antidepressant.  Seeing him always got me out of  a depressed mood. 

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