Is Your Doctor Being Bribed? How Drug Company Gifts May Be Linked to Doctors’ Prescribing Habits
Think your physician is prescribing you the right medication based solely on your individual needs? Think again. A study published recently in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) shows a strong correlation between gifts given to doctors by pharmaceutical corporations and the type of medication those doctors prescribed for their patients.
The study used data mandated by 2010’s Affordable Care Act, which requires medication and medical device manufacturers to report detailed information about their payments and gifts to doctors to the federal government. As of 2014, this data has been made public on the government’s “open payments” website. You can go to the website and type in your physician’s name and find out who’s been giving them gifts or buying them meals.
Doctors are not supposed to be influenced by drug makers in any way, whether consciously or unconsciously. Doctors should also take into account the patient’s finances when prescribing medicine and prescribe a cheaper generic version of the medication when possible.
If you feel you have been prescribed the wrong medication or a more expensive medication because your physician was unethically influenced by a pharmaceutical manufacturer, you may have grounds for a lawsuit. Many drug makers have faced heavy fines recently for illegal payments to physicians, but those huge, multibillion dollar corporations are rarely deterred by fines. To find out more about your legal rights and options, call the law offices of Farah & Farah for a free consultation by dialing 1(800) 533-3555.
