Canadian, OK 9/3/2009 4:42:13 AM
Pfizer Losing 2.3 Billion Dollars to the War Against Prescription Drug Addiction
There is a growing awareness of how big the prescription drug misuse epidemic has become. So much so that it is hard to watch the news without weekly stories of prescription drug homicide like Michael Jackson and other celebrities or the thousands who die from over prescribing of pharmaceutical drugs each year. As a major victory in the continuous battle against these prescription drug atrocities, Pfizer, under the strain of prosecution from the U.S. Attorney’s office, the FBI and others, agreed Wednesday to pay 2.3 billion dollars in settlement due to false advertising and basically bribing doctors.
Authorities said Pfizer routinely invited doctors to “consultant meetings” at resort locations, paying their expenses and providing perks. "They were entertained with golf, massages, and other activities," said Mike Loucks, the U.S. attorney in Massachusetts. Mr. Loucks further explained that even while Pfizer was negotiating and trying to handle past misconduct, they were continuing to violate the very same laws with other drugs they are currently promoting. This is not new news to many in the rehabilitative industry who have dealt with the fall out of the sales promoted in the lavish “consultant meetings” Mr. Loucks speaks about. “The prescription drug addiction epidemic is spinning out of control and the sales of these drugs to people who don’t need them just keeps skyrocketing up creating masses of addicts in its wake” explained Derry Hallmark C.D.A.C at Narconon’s premier rehabilitation and education center, Narconon Arrowhead in Oklahoma.
According to Wikipedia, there are at present approximately 100,000 pharmaceutical sales reps in the United States and they visit approximately 830,000 pharmaceutical prescribers. A pharmaceutical representative will often try to see a given physician every few weeks. These sales representatives have very exact targets to meet with regards to sales volume for the 100 to 200 doctors they target every couple of weeks. This sales force has one intended purpose and that is to get doctors to prescribe more drugs to their patients more often.
Obviously the medical doctors who are trying to help their patients handle their current physical malady seek their information about the latest treatment in the most up-to-date places they can. Unfortunately, the sales reps for Big Pharma offer themselves as those up-to-date professionals. They are handy with “research” and promotional pamphlets the doctor can place in their offices as well as supplying websites packed with data on effectiveness and drug applications. Of course, many of these resources are bought and paid for by the pharmaceutical company selling the product being featured. Maybe there is another way to find out how to help?
Narconon Arrowhead, Narconon's premier facility, located in Oklahoma on 216 acres in Arrowhead State Park, is the perfect get-away for an addict who is trying to recover from addiction. The peaceful setting we offer here is like no other and our highly trained staffs are 100% dedicated to helping our clients overcome their addictions. Narconon Arrowhead first opened its doors in 2000 and starting delivering drug education across the nation in 2001 in an attempt to help prevent addiction before it starts. If you or someone you love needs help please call 1-800-468-6933 or log onto stopaddiction.com to speak to a counselor who can help you get started on the road to recovery for a life time.
