Early Monday morning, I had an office visit with a physician who had a "No Free Lunch" sign prominently posted next to the sliding glass reception window. The notice said that the doctor would not accept free lunch, samples, sales/educational information or other materials from pharmaceutical companies.
Two days later I attended a no-charge all-day continuing medical education program for approximately a thousand physicians, nurses and related professionals, conducted by a national medical education company which has been funded by pharmaceutical companies, an insurer and a local medical society. Subjects included incretin hormones for management of type 2 diabetes, osteoporosis prevention, reducing cardiovascular risk by focusing on HDL, the beneficial blood component, asthma, new Beta blockers for hypertension treatment, fibromyalgia and actinic keratoses/squamous skin cancer. These are all relevant medical subjects and just happen to be conditions for which medications may be prescribed.
While several pharmaceutical companies had tables with representatives, the number was smaller than in previous years. Other than a speaker who (to me suspiciously) grandly extolled the virtues of sitagliptin, the obvious and indirect commercial message was subdued compared to past years. The speakers were professional, competent qualified and (except as described above) appropriately restrained.
And my lunch - half of a plain turkey sandwich, diet coke and an apple. Healthy, but not necessarily "free."
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