Can some one tell me what a Pharmacy Technology is all about? I have found a
university that actually offer an associate degree in Pharmacy Technology. I am
not sure how this degree can actually help me in the Pharmacy. Will it actually
help me with my wage, or does it just look good on paper when I apply for job
elsewhere?
Long time no see!!! I know it’s been a while since I posted any thing
But I do read the messages!!! I’m glad to see that you have kept up
your site it is very helpful especially to those who are just starting
out in the world of pharmacy techs!!! I know it helped me a lot!!! I
was wondering if there is any website or even a book that would have a
list of commonly used CII and CIII drugs? We have been looking at some
sites but none really have a list or they only have the top 10? if you
or anyone on tech lectures can help with this I would greatly
appreciate it!!! Have a great day!!!
Researchers and a scientific watchdog group are calling on regulators
to take a new look at the safety of aspartame following a new study
concluding that the popular sweetener promotes cancer in rats.
The study, published in a U.S. government journal, found increased
rates of malignancies in animals fed aspartame throughout their
lifespan. The product, which is the key ingredient in sweeteners
including NutraSweet and Equal, is also used to sweeten thousands of
food products and is widely used in diet soft drinks.
Aspartame first gained U.S. approval in 1981. Ever since,
manufacturers have vigorously defended its safety. On Tuesday, an
industry group blasted the study as flawed and warned it would
needlessly alarm consumers.
But the Italy-based research team said their study shows that lifetime
exposure of rats to aspartame — beginning in the womb — increased
the incidence of having cancerous tumors by the time they died.
“We believe that a review of the current regulations governing the use
of aspartame cannot be delayed,” wrote researchers from the European
Ramazzini Foundation of Oncology and Environmental Sciences in
Bologna. The study was published online in the journal Environmental
Health Perspectives, published by the National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences.
The consumer group Center for Science in the Public Interest followed
the study with a call on the FDA to revisit its original approval of
aspartame.
“Because aspartame is so widely consumed, it is urgent that the FDA
evaluate whether aspartame still poses a ‘reasonable certainty of no
harm,’ the standard used for gauging the safety of food additives,”
Michael Jacobson, the group’s executive director, said in a statement.
“But consumers, particularly parents, shouldn’t wait for the FDA to
act. People shouldn’t panic, but they should stop buying beverages and
foods containing aspartame,” he said.
Previous Study ‘Reassuring’
A study published last year by the National Cancer Institute found no
correlation between aspartame consumption and cancer growth in nearly
475,000 people. While the study was not designed to find a causal link
between aspartame and cancer, Jacobson’s group at the time said they
were reassured that aspartame is safe for humans at typical amounts
most people consume.
On Tuesday, Jacobson said that sense of reassurance was gone thanks to
the latest Italian animal study.
“The previous study was reassuring but certainly not definitive,”
Jacobson tells WebMD. “I think the FDA needs to take a new look at
this, and then we’ll go from there.”
Beth Hubrich, a spokeswoman for the industry group Calorie Control
Council, criticizes the study’s methods.
“This goes against the overwhelming scientific literature that
aspartame is safe,” she tells WebMD.
That was echoed by the FDA. Spokesman Michael Herndon says the agency
was interested in reviewing the Italian study. But he says the results
are “not consistent” with results from a large number of other studies
evaluated by the agency.
“Therefore, at this time, FDA finds no reason to alter its previous
conclusion that aspartame is safe as a general purpose sweetener in
food,” the statement says.
t starts at 8:00 AM with the clinging of a bell and the turning on of
lights. Before the first cup of coffee can be put in its place,
customers start streaming in and the last one won’t leave the floor
until sometime after 6:00 PM, which is closing time. The
hustle-and-bustle never stops and the people never seem to stop
streaming in. Callers want to know when their “reflex” medicine will
be filled, only to hear the friendly clerk who knows them by name
correct them gently and tell them that their “reflux” medicine is
indeed ready.
The life of a small-town pharmacy is anything but ordinary. The days
of soda fountains and bicycle delivery boys are long gone and have
been replaced with bulky neon Coke machines and UPS. For one
small-town pharmacy in Hazlehurst, Miss., the old way of life is
exactly what this family wants to keep in place.
Allred’s Pharmacy and Gifts was established 80 years ago by Cecil
Allred. Jackie and Nancy Thompson found their way to Hazlehurst 45
years later, bought the business, and are still the owners and
operators today. Allred’s competes with three other pharmacies in the
area, yet its parking lot remains filled from the moment the bell
clangs until closing time, Monday through Saturday.
So what are the positives to a dying breed of small-town pharmacies
that allow them to stay afloat? Pharmacist Jackie Thompson said it’s
their flexibility and convenience. “I think that the flexibility to do
anything at any moment in time and to be able to do anything you need
to do to improve your business keeps us open. You are your own CEO and
CFO, and it works out great.”
Many big businesses envy the freedom and flexibility of small-town
pharmacies. Thompson said, “We can change and do anything we want as
long as it complies with the state board regulations and, well, the
government’s regulations as well.”
While Thompson sees his life’s business as a positive thing, he said
he still can also spot a few cons. “Inside my business, I have the
flexibility to do what I want to do. But outside of that, I am
restricted. Because I am my own CEO and I make all the decisions, I
always have to be there and I don’t get a lot of time off. This can
sometimes seem like confinement because I don’t have a lot of time for
vacations and things like that.”
His wife, Nancy, sang the same tune. “We are typically confined to the
store because we are the only ones that really know how to run it. But
the pros outnumber the cons by far,” she said.
Getting to know you
While Jackie sees the flexibility of his business as the main
attraction, Nancy said that the personal basis on which you get to
know your customers is the best thing to her. “You really get to know
your customers, and they become like family to you. It becomes a
one-on-one type of relationship. Regardless of race, age, or gender,
you get to know them and their families and they become like your own.
They truly care about us and we truly care about them and all that
goes on with their loved ones.” She also said that one good thing
about a small-town pharmacy is all of the goodies the customers bring
in. “They bring you lots of fresh vegetables in the summer from their
gardens and other things that they have made. That is always fun!”
Andrea Ashley, long-time employee of Jackie and Nancy Thompson, said
she feels that small-town pharmacies work because they actually are
able to care for their customers. “One of the things everyone likes is
that we deliver. Whether it’s medicine to someone that’s sick at home
or to people in the nursing home, we deliver medicine and medical
supplies every day. We still have charge accounts, and even though
it’s frustrating to the owners sometimes when the promises to make
payments aren’t kept, we keep them because our store loves people.
Customers can call small-town pharmacists like Jackie in the middle of
the night if they need medicine. We are in the business of not only
medicine but taking care of people.”
Another long-time employee, Pam Thompson, enjoys the friendly
atmosphere of Allred’s. “If you were a customer, wouldn’t you rather
go to a pharmacy where the clerks—and especially the pharmacist—at
least knew your name?” she asked. “Most of the time our pharmacist
knows not only your name but you, your family, and most of your
medical history. He also works very closely alongside the local
doctors and many that are out of town.” She continued, “You can
actually go behind the counter and speak to the pharmacist about
things that are going on in your life, and you feel as if you are
their only customer. Why would anyone want to go anyplace else? Maybe
you can go through an automated system in the corporate world, but in
our small-town pharmacy, you are anything but just another Rx number.”
While it’s easy to see all of the good in this 80-year-old business,
at times it can become a chore trying to keep up with corporate
America. Ashley said, “Small-town pharmacies are indicative of
small-town America in general. All small businesses are in a struggle
against the mega-this and the mega-that. In the short run, it may be
attractive to people because of the ability of giant retailers to
undercut the little guy, but in the long run a town loses its sense of
identity and community.”
The hours can be extremely trying for the pharmacists as well. Pam
Thompson said, “They tend to work long, hard hours on their feet all
day long rarely with a break. Jackie doesn’t have much time off at
all, but the reward for helping people, I hope, makes it worth it.”
Medicare Part D
Medicare Part D has presented a problem for many small pharmacies.
Several elders in the pharmacy field have even had to close down their
businesses because they could not afford to keep them open with this
new government program. Jackie said, “I think Medicare Part D is the
most ill-conceived and totally unresearched program the federal
government has ever given to the American people. It is so hidden in a
cloak of deceit that it helped absolutely no one but corporate
America. I think the President sold small-town America out.” Jackie
believes it is a conspiracy by the drug companies because all of the
Medicare Part D providers are owned by drug companies. He said, “I
think it’s a ploy by certain power mongers in this country to get rid
of independent drugstores.”
Nancy added, “It has been very confusing and has taken a lot of time
to educate our customers. The program and the government took zero
time to teach the people and left it up to the pharmacists to educate
their public. This took time away from what the pharmacist’s job
really is.”
Ashley has seen a lot of strife due to the new plan. Jackie, she said,
“spent a lot of time on the phone trying to straighten out the messes,
talking to customers and helping them get on the right plan. He could
have just shrugged them off left them to figure it out on their own.
But he cared for his customers because he is a genuine small-town
pharmacist!”
A blessing
Jackie Thompson feels blessed by his business, and his family does as
well. Much can be said about a small-town business and its owner. One
of Thompson’s two daughters, Jennifer Walker, has learned much by
growing up in her father’s drugstore. She said, “I have a strong work
ethic because of growing up around my dad and his business. I am
seeing this more and more as I grow into my career. There are days I
remember dad getting up at 2:00 AM to meet someone to get something as
simple as Tylenol. You will never find this in a chain store.
Sometimes we had to wait for him to get back from helping others to
have family dinners, but other than that, nothing at all was bad about
his business and his spending time with our family. I completely
respect him for what he does—not only for our family but for our
community. Anyone in town who needs anything knows that he or she can
call Mr. Jackie and, if necessary, can even charge it!”
As with many small-town businesses, Allred’s has many funny stories to
report about its customers. Recently, a man came in and looked over
the blood glucose monitors for some time and asked the clerk if he
could activate them. With a look of confusion on her face, she asked
him what he meant. He thought they were cell phones.
Early one December a man came in to charge some medicine. When asked
what the name was on the account, he said, “Murry Christmas.” Nancy
responded with a very cheerful, “Merry Christmas to you too, sir.”
When he was asked again the name on the account, he said, a little
more irritated this time, “I told you my name is Murry Christmas!”
The humor definitely makes this job worthwhile, but the most rewarding
part of working in a small-town pharmacy for the owners is the people.
Jackie Thompson said, “The best thing about my job is helping people.
The reward of knowing you are helping them in an area that they really
know nothing about is amazing. I feel that without question my wife
and I are doing exactly what God wanted us to do and that’s why we are
at such peace with where we are and what we do. Why else would we be
in Hazlehurst, Miss.? We had to get a map out to find this place!”
Small-town pharmacies may be a dying breed, but they are undoubtedly
among the most amazing places to visit. You can be entertained and
informed all in a single visit while stepping foot in a place where
everyone knows your name.
Weight loss doesn’t have to be dramatic to help the health of people
with type 2 diabetes, a new study shows.
The study, called Look AHEAD (Action for Health in Diabetes), included
5,145 people with type 2 diabetes.
The key finding: Losing a modest amount of weight — about 8% –
reaped big health rewards, including better blood sugar control and
less need for diabetes and blood pressure drugs.
“We’re encouraged, based on our experience with Look AHEAD, that many
overweight individuals with type 2 diabetes are able to achieve and
maintain 7% to 10% or greater weight loss over the course of one
year,” researcher Mark Espeland, PhD, tells WebMD.
Espeland works in the public health sciences division of Wake Forest
University’s medical school.
Weight Loss and Type 2 Diabetes
In type 2 diabetes, the body doesn’t respond properly to insulin, a
hormone that controls blood sugar. Being overweight or obese makes
people more likely to develop type 2 diabetes.
Look AHEAD participants first weighed in, got checkups, and took
exercise tests. Then they were randomly split into two similar groups.
Participants in one group got an intensive lifestyle makeover to help
them lose at least 7% of their body weight in the study’s first year.
They attended dozens of group meetings, ate portion-controlled diets,
and got help from behavioral psychologists and exercise specialists.
Their portion-controlled diets included liquid meal replacements or
structured meal plans. Those participants were encouraged to walk or
get other physical activity at home.
For comparison, participants in the other group got standard care,
education, and support for their type 2 diabetes, with few group
meetings and no specific diet or exercise plan.
Weight Loss Diabetes Results
In a year, participants in the intensive lifestyle program lost 8.6%
of their body weight, boosted their aerobic fitness by 21%, improved
their blood sugar control, and cut back on their need for diabetes and
blood pressure medications.
Those in the comparison group lost less than 1% of their body weight.
But they did upgrade their fitness somewhat, though not as much as
those in the lifestyle program.
“Many markers of health improved in both groups,” Espeland tells WebMD.
Look AHEAD will continue to see if the short-term results hold up over
time. “This is the primary reason for Look AHEAD,” says Espeland.
Many Ways to Lose Weight
Linda Surks remembers her son Jason as a good-natured kid who made
friends easily. “He was always compliant and accommodating, and just a
real pleasant person,” she said.
So when Linda and her husband, Mark, got a call telling them their son
Jason, a 19-year-old sophomore at Rutgers University, was in the
hospital, they had no idea what to expect.
“We thought he had come down with something and really didn’t have any
idea when we got to the hospital,” Surks said.
They were told their son had died of a drug overdose.
“It was a double whammy,” she explained. “To hear that your child has
passed away, but to hear it happened the way it did was a total shock.
I had no clue he was abusing.”
That’s because Jason didn’t buy typical street drugs from some corner
dealer. He got his fix from the Internet, the latest front in the war
on drugs.
“After we collected his belongings from the university we went through
his computer and we found some Mexican pharmacy Web sites that he had
visited,” Surks said. “We also found some evidence of an account that
he had with one of these pharmacies.”
Jason’s death was a tragic irony for Linda, who works for the National
Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. “I work in prevention,” she
said. “That’s a pretty telling statement to have to make — that I
know what to look for, I know how to talk to my kids about drugs and
he really kept it very well hidden from us.”
Lethal and Addictive
What most young people don’t know is that prescription drugs like
Xanax, when abused, can be as addictive and lethal as heroin.
“There’s no fear of prescription drugs,” said Steve Liga, executive
director of the National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence of
Middlesex County, N.J.
Liga said the Internet has the potential to change the way the younger
generation gets hooked on drugs. “What we used to see before the
Internet was that prescription drugs were a later-stage addiction,” he
explained. These users typically worked their way up through
marijuana, cocaine and heroin, and were considered hardcore addicts
who stole their drugs from a pharmacy or diverted them from a doctor.
“What’s happening now with the Internet is that it’s almost flipped,”
Liga said. “We have people who never dreamed of using heroin or
cocaine, but they have no problem taking an Adderall.”
Impossible to Trace
Law enforcement agencies now face the daunting task of taking down
dealers who are almost impossible to trace, because they conduct their
business and then disappear into cyberspace.
In just a few years, the number of Web sites selling potentially
dangerous drugs without a prescription has increased exponentially.
Right now, you can buy drugs like OxyContin, Vicodin, and Xanax with
your credit card from more than 1,000 Web sites and have them
delivered directly to your door. And they are the real thing.
So how easy is it to get to one of these sites? Do you have to be a
savvy insider? Drug Enforcement Administration agent Tim Stover took
“Nightline” on a tour of the Internet-based drug world.
Agent Stover started with a simple Web search of “no prescription
hydrocodon,” which quickly yielded 141,000 listings. He then
demonstrated how easy it was to submit an order. After selecting the
drugs he wanted to purchase, he was asked to answer 10 simple
questions and was then asked to submit his credit card information.
“From the time that we put our answers in here we’ve had drugs that
we’ve ordered — at 2 o’clock in the afternoon on a Thursday –
delivered to us at 10 a.m. on Friday,” said Stover. “So it’s a very
quick, very efficient process.”
It’s as easy as ordering a book online: Prescription-strength drugs
are available without a prescription. All you need is a credit card
and a craving. And you don’t even have to muster the courage to deal
with someone face to face who may want to hurt you.
“It’s all done from the comfort of your home,” explained Stover, “and
… the anonymity of the Internet.”
In other words, you can potentially buy these drugs online without
ever exposing who you really are. And aggressive advertising in the
form of pop-ups, cookies and mass e-mails means you don’t even have to
search for the Web sites online; they will come to you.
A Massive Operation
It’s a huge operation with no bricks and mortar involved. There are no
buildings or person-to-person meetings because it’s all done
digitally. The dealers collect the information online, package the
drugs, and send them out via overnight delivery.
“I mean, literally, people can do this and perpetuate these crimes
throughout the world,” said Stover.
Many of these Web sites are located in countries like Ukraine, Latvia
and Mexico, where it’s perfectly legal to buy and sell these drugs
without prescriptions. So, even if law enforcement could find the
dealers, they couldn’t arrest them.
That’s why the DEA has successfully tracked and busted only a few
Internet prescription-drug trafficking rings.
In Texas a recent drug bust resulted in a number of indictments. Soon
after, there was a noticeable drop in activity on related Web sites.
But within weeks, the online ads were back. And to be sure, business
is booming again.
“It’s because of the anonymity, because of the ease of putting up
these Web sites and taking them down, because of the global nature of
the Internet, and how they can move money, and move information,”
Stover said.
“It’s tremendously challenging.”
Supply and Demand
Historically, attempts at decreasing the supply of drugs have rarely
worked. Growers, manufacturers and dealers always find new ways to
produce and distribute drugs, so experts realize it is important to
work on decreasing the demand.
“The Internet blew the lid off prescription drugs,” said Liga, of the
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence. “It’s a new
phenomenon and there isn’t any research to say what works and what
doesn’t.” When it comes to prevention, Liga teaches students that
prescription drug abuse is serious, and he hopes they will spread the
word to their friends.
A B.C. woman’s death last year from metal toxicity underlines the
dangers of buying medications through the internet, says the regional
coroner for Vancouver Island.
Marcia Bergeron, 57, of Quadra Island died last December from a heart
attack brought on by toxic metals in her system. Toxicology tests
found the concentration of aluminum in her liver to be 15 times the norm.
A coroner’s inquiry found on Thursday the toxins came from counterfeit
medicines Bergeron had ordered online.
Coroner Rose Stanton warns that the practice of buying cheap drugs
online is increasing and that there are very few safeguards for consumers.
“It’s certainly happening at a significant enough rate that it can
keep these people in business who are selling the drugs.
“And people who are buying are people who for one reason or another
can’t get to a pharmacy … or they don’t want people to know the drug
they are purchasing,” Stanton told CBC News.
“It’s no surprise that the leading drug purchased over the internet is
Viagra.” Provincial Health Minister George Abbott echoed Stanton’s
warning, saying that although the federal government regulates
internet trade, the sale of drugs online appears to be uncontrollable.
“There is no way for Health Canada or anyone else to ensure the safety
of the product that is coming to the recipient when it’s purchased
over the internet,” he told CBC News.
Evidence gleaned from Bergeron’s computer suggests she had ordered
sedative and anti-anxiety drugs over the internet. Unmarked packages
were also found in her home.
The coroner’s report noted that internet drug sites selling
counterfeit medication are a complex and emerging health-care problem,
but made no recommendation on how to put a stop to it.
THE pharmaceutical industry defends its promotional spending as a
service to science, physicians and patients. Advertising to patients
helps motivate them to improve their health, manufacturers say, and
detailing doctors keeps them abreast of new therapies and scientific
advances.
Those activities also, indisputably, boost sales. As marketing budgets
climbed toward a 2006 high of $28 billion, sales of prescription drugs
have never been higher. According to estimates published by the Kaiser
Family Foundation, the number of individual prescriptions filled in
the United States rose from 2.9 billion in 1999 to 3.7 billion in
2006; in 1994, Kaiser calculated that each American filled on average
7.9 prescriptions per year, including refills; by 2005, that number
had risen to 12.4.
For every 10% increase in direct-to-consumer advertisements within a
class of similar drugs, sales of drugs in that class (say,
antidepressants or erectile dysfunction drugs) went up 1%, Kaiser
found in a 2003 study. In 2000, direct-to-consumer advertising alone
boosted drug sales 12%, at an additional cost of $2.6 billion to
consumers and insurers.
Of more than 10,000 drugs on the U.S. pharmaceutical market, half of
all marketing budgets are used to promote 50 brand-name medications,
according to a 2003 study in the journal Clinical Therapy. And those
50 drugs are the ones that sell the best.
Prodding patients to prod their physicians, apparently, works. In
2006, a Kaiser Family Foundation survey of 834 office-based physicians
found that 28% of doctors said patients “frequently” asked for
prescription drugs by name after seeing an advertisement. Although
about half said they typically responded by suggesting lifestyle
changes, 14% of the physicians said they would, in many cases,
prescribe a different drug in the same class as the one the patient
requested. And 5% readily acknowledged that they frequently would
prescribe the drug the patient requested.
Physicians see marketing’s effects on their patients every day. But
ask the doctors whether the marketing influences their clinical
judgments or prescribing behavior, and a chill will descend upon the
room, say those who have run the experiment.
“Physicians are heavily socialized to believe that they have risen
above the normal human foibles,” said Harvard University’s David
Blumenthal, co-author of the most recent survey detailing doctor-drug
company interactions. “They clearly recognize that physicians are
human and subject to normal human influences; they just have a lot of
trouble seeing themselves as subject to that.”
Not immune to marketing
BLUMENTHAL finds it revealing that most physicians do not extend to
their colleagues the same trust. In a widely cited 2001 study
published in the American Journal of Medicine, 84% of young physicians
surveyed said they believed that drug industry promotions, including
gifts and meals, influenced the prescribing practices of fellow
physicians. Although most of these doctors acknowledged they were
besieged by back-slapping, sample-toting, gift-giving drug
representatives, 61% said they considered themselves immune to
marketing’s effects.
They are not. A 1994 study found that hospital-based doctors were more
likely to request the addition of brand-name prescription drugs to
their institution’s medicine chest after they had met with sales
representatives detailing those drugs.
Studies published in 1988 and 1992 found that physicians who attended
continuing medical education programs sponsored by drug companies, or
who accepted funding for travel and lodging to attend them, were
significantly more likely to prescribe that company’s drug than those
who did not.
Several studies have found that physicians who accept and hand out
free samples to their patients are far more likely to prescribe those
drugs than those who don’t take or have no access to samples.
Last April, the online medical journal Public Library of Science
published a study tracking the effect of doctor-detailing by sales
reps working for Warner-Lambert, maker of the anti-epileptic drug
Neurontin. The study showed that, following even a brief encounter
with a marketing representative detailing Neurontin, almost half of
the 97 physicians examined found their briefings highly educational
(even when research evidence presented was scant or poor) and
indicated they would step up prescriptions of the drug.
Dr. Andrew Leuchter has spent much of the last two years heading a
UCLA committee convened to redraft guidelines for physicians’
interactions with drug companies. He has faced the skepticism of
physicians when the subject of drug company influence is raised.
“They ask, ‘Do you really think that my medical decision-making can be
influenced by the fact that someone bought me a pizza?’ ” Leuchter said.
“They’re quite sobered” when confronted with the mounting pile of
evidence that it can, he added.
Subtly powerful
DR. Kurt Stange, the editor of the Annals of Family Medicine who
called for an end to consumer advertising of drugs, said the effects
of a detailing visit can be subtle. But, he added, these encounters
are made all the more powerful when physicians either deny or ignore
their influence.
“You’re not overtly thinking, ‘I’m going to prescribe this drug
because I got a pen,” Stange said. “You’re just thinking, ‘What will
help this patient?’ and you’ve been bombarded with advertisements, and
the name is always before you. . . . You have to have a fair amount of
self-awareness to notice that.”
In the end, advocates of reform say, there is no stronger evidence
that drug marketing influences behavior than the simple fact that drug
companies do market their products — and that they are spending more
money doing it than ever before. The makers of the nation’s
bestselling drugs field on average 4,000 sales representatives to
detail doctors, staff booths at medical meetings and organize trips
and meals for doctors, and spend more than $1 billion per year to
market drugs to physicians alone. They spend, all told, roughly $5
billion a year to advertise directly to consumers. Though they are not
counted in marketing budgets, the funds they dispense to support
research, medical professional organizations and patient-advocacy
groups run into the billions.
In terms of cold, hard return-on-investment, that money was well
spent, says a study unveiled in 2001. Tracking prescription sales for
391 drugs and company marketing budgets from 1995 through 1999,
Dartmouth College marketing professor Scott Neslin has calculated,
down to the penny, how well increases in marketing pay off.
Each additional dollar spent on advertising in medical journals
brought $5 worth of sales of a drug, Neslin found, and an extra dollar
devoted to sponsorship of continuing medical education and
professional meetings yielded an average of $3.56 in sales. A dollar
spent on physician-detailing generated sales, on average, was worth
$1.72. But in the case of the most aggressively marketed drugs, that
dollar generated sales of more than $10.
Appealing directly to consumers was lucrative, Neslin found, but a
little less than wooing physicians. Each dollar spent on
direct-to-consumer advertising generated, on average, increased sales
of $1.37.
Such calculations flesh out a self-evident truth, said, UCLA’s Dr.
Martin Shapiro, a past president of the Society of General Internal
Medicine and an advocate of reform in the relationship: “These are
large and sophisticated organizations. . . . They would not be
spending that money if it didn’t work.”
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