tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33960805.post116931322727430920..comments2023-10-30T02:03:47.513-07:00Comments on Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry: A Closer Look: Greed and Cancer DocsCL Psychhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/13990549972520745769noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33960805.post-1169384837142775852007-01-21T05:07:00.000-08:002007-01-21T05:07:00.000-08:00We're even luckier than you may imagine:The high-p...We're even luckier than you may imagine:<BR/><BR/><I>The high-profit margin of chemotherapy drugs is one factor crucial to the success of these new physician practice management <B>companies</B>. Just how high is entirely up to doctors. Mark-ups as high as 600% have been reported. Oncologists are unique among physicians in that they can profit directly from the drugs they prescribe. This is due to the fact that most chemotherapy must be administered intravenously under doctor supervision.</I><BR/><BR/>http://www.findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_m0815/is_n203_v21/ai_18242660<BR/><BR/>We are immensely fortunate that every last one of our oncologists has such a sterling character that it is utterly inconceivable that greenbacks would, in any way, color their prescribing habits.<BR/><BR/>And even if there were the odd <I>malum malum</I>, (bad apple for the Latin-deprived) our glorious pharmaceutical companies do keep tabs on what our oncologists prescribe.<BR/><BR/><I>Officials said the investigation began in May when a sales representative for Eli Lilly, maker of Gemzar, noted the pharmacy had purchased only about one third of the drug it had supposedly provided and billed to patients. A doctor informed by the salesman then decided to send samples he obtained to an independent lab and found the samples highly diluted.</I><BR/><BR/>http://archives.cnn.com/2001/HEALTH/08/15/diluted.drugs/index.html<BR/><BR/>Note that it wasn't the feds but Eli Lilly who caught on to this lowlife. How did the glorious crime-busters at Eli Lilly gain access to data on what the pharmacy was billing its patients? Did Eli Lilly also monitor how many patients were paying for Zyprexa?<BR/><BR/>A bonus question: did Lilly then refer Zyprexa customers to its humulin marketing division for the same sort of cold call it made to potential Prozac customers:<BR/><BR/><I>Florida Probes Lilly's Mailings Of Prozac Samples to Patients<BR/>THOMAS M. BURTON / Wall Street Journal 8jul02<BR/><BR/>The Florida attorney general's office is investigating whether Eli Lilly & Co. violated the state's unfair-trade law when Lilly sales personnel allegedly mailed free samples of the antidepressant Prozac to patients taking other depression medicines.</I><BR/><BR/>http://www.mindfully.org/Industry/Eli-Lilly-Privacy-InfringementWSJ26jul02.htm<BR/><BR/>If the government doesn't do something about this mess, I move that we end elections for Congress, and instead pass laws that enable the American People to elect the executives at America's pharmaceutical companies.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com