For years drug companies have been funding research to help doctors as well as consumers know about the good and bad effects of prescription medication. The only problem is the drug companies are funding the research and producing there own tests on their own medication. Can drug companies truly give an unbiased assessment of their own product?
The first red flag is that the drug companies pay for “education” out of their marketing budget. The drug companies try to keep as much marketing as possible under the educational label in order to avoid legal restraints and boost public relations.
Labeling marketing as education allows drug companies to sidestep legal restraints set by the FDA. In order to keep drug companies from broadening claims on the effectiveness of their drugs without evidence, FDA requires that they can only advertise the specific use that each drug is approved for. For example, if a drug is approved to treat a certain type of virus, drug companies can only advertise that it is approved to affectively treat that specific virus. This is where the “educational expense” comes into play.
Knowing that they can’t directly advertise other uses of their drug, drug companies spend billions of dollars educating doctors on other uses of their medication. This is how they sidestep the law. They pay for and conduct there own studies and then spend an endless amount of money pitching their drug to doctors.
Another way that drug companies “educate” doctors is by holding conventions and doctors conferences. Although it is illegal to offer kickbacks to doctors, it is not illegal to offer lavish gifts or free trips as long they throw an “educational” or “research” tag on it. So basically the more severe the kickback laws become, the more doctors will be “educated”.
As long as this corruption and manipulation of the system occurs, drug prices in America will continue to be inflated. The best alternative is foreign pharmacies like Canada and Mexico. Foreign online pharmacies offer discount prices on prescription drugs, plus the convenience of never having to leave the comfort of your own home. When ordering online, you should use a pharmacy resource website to help you locate the safest and most cost effective pharmacies. Noprescriptioneeded.com is a great website that will provide a current list of the cheapest pharmacies that are rated and reviewed on their quality and customer satisfaction.