American Drugmaker Blasted For Unethical Practices
Sales representatives for Abbott Laboratories paid for lap dances, dog track entertainment, Wimbledon tickets, and other favors for health professionals.
As a result, Britain's leading drug industry trade group, the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, has suspended Abbott's membership.
The gesture is symbolic and will have little effect, but it does draw attention to the ethics violations practiced by many drug companies, even after the industry claimed it would begin voluntarily policing itself.
Abbott, a Chicago-based company, claimed that only a small number of employees were involved, all of whom either resigned or were fired before any investigation began.
Drug companies spend upwards of $20 billion a year in the United States marketing directly to health professionals, which is more than five times what they spend on television ads.
Chicago Tribune February 11, 2006,
Dr. Mercola's Comment: Here's another blatant example of how the multi-national drug companies dispense their money freely to buy influence.
Sad to say, the association's six-month suspension of Abbott doesn't even restrict sales of the company's products in the UK. And, even though all the Abbott employees who doled out favors and gifts left the company or were fired, you know that's just the tip of the iceberg.
This demonstrates, according to a Public Citizen representative, just how weak voluntary guidelines can be -- and the result is inflated insurance premiums and taxes that cost you money. A great quote from Public Citizen sums it up best:
"I wouldn't be happy to be taken care of by a doctor willing to jeopardize the sanctity of his prescribing practices at a lap dance club."
Neither should you.
Related Articles
Free Forum Hosting
Important Announcement
Prev Message
