New Ways Drug Companies are Manipulating Your Doctor
Posted By Dr. Mercola | July 29 2011 | 158 views
Free smartphone apps from Epocrates are used by nearly half of the U.S. doctors to look up information on drug dosing, interactions and insurance coverage. But calling them "free" may be a bit misleading -- to use the apps, doctors must first see marketing messages for prescription drugs.
The apps select messages based on a doctor's search and prescription histories. And the company has further plans -- they are discussing the possibility is a virtual sales rep that would help drug makers get access to physicians who normally refuse such meetings.
The New York Times reports:
"The marketing messages are difficult to ignore. For example, a psychiatrist in Massachusetts who recently opened Epocrates ... had to click past 'DocAlert' messages on hypertension, bipolar disorder, and migraines. Two of the three showed they had been paid for by pharmaceutical companies promoting their products."
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