September 17, 2007

How drug reps operate. "It's my job to figure out what a physician's price is. For some it's dinner at the finest restaurants, for others it's enough convincing data to let them prescribe confidently and for others it's my attention and friendship...but at the most basic level, everything is for sale and everything is an exchange."
posted by HawthorneWingo 17 years ago
  • A close family friend, and former neighbor, was a rep for Hoffman-La Roche for a good 30 or so years. He had a mesmerizing personality, and really knew how to draw one into a conversation. As a small child, I spent hours in the attic of their home - a treasure trove of Roche-branded gifts, some of which were quite astounding. Valium-labeled gifts were always plenty. It's always non-stop entertainment when I pay a visit to my doctor's office: the cutthroat competition between different pharmaceutical reps, their always seemingly seedy personalities, and the ease at which they control and manipulate a professional physician's office.
  • On the plus side, the samples are great. My mother's doctor is often able to keep her going when she can't afford her prescriptions.
  • Have forwarded this to Mrs Dotcom (a GP) ... expect explosion when she stops watching Sex in the City