The Rheumatologist
COVID-19 NewsACR Convergence
  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed
  • Home
  • Conditions
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis
    • SLE (Lupus)
    • Crystal Arthritis
      • Gout Resource Center
    • Spondyloarthritis
    • Osteoarthritis
    • Soft Tissue Pain
    • Scleroderma
    • Vasculitis
    • Systemic Inflammatory Syndromes
    • Guidelines
  • Resource Centers
    • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
    • Gout Resource Center
    • Psoriatic Arthritis Resource Center
    • Rheumatoid Arthritis Resource Center
    • Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Resource Center
  • Drug Updates
    • Biologics & Biosimilars
    • DMARDs & Immunosuppressives
    • Topical Drugs
    • Analgesics
    • Safety
    • Pharma Co. News
  • Professional Topics
    • Ethics
    • Legal
    • Legislation & Advocacy
    • Career Development
      • Certification
      • Education & Training
    • Awards
    • Profiles
    • President’s Perspective
    • Rheuminations
    • Interprofessional Perspective
  • Practice Management
    • Billing/Coding
    • Quality Assurance/Improvement
    • Workforce
    • Facility
    • Patient Perspective
    • Electronic Health Records
    • Apps
    • Information Technology
    • From the College
    • Multimedia
      • Audio
      • Video
  • Resources
    • Issue Archives
    • ACR Convergence
      • Gout Resource Center
      • Axial Spondyloarthritis Resource Center
      • Psoriatic Arthritis
      • Abstracts
      • Meeting Reports
      • ACR Convergence Home
    • American College of Rheumatology
    • ACR ExamRheum
    • Research Reviews
    • ACR Journals
      • Arthritis & Rheumatology
      • Arthritis Care & Research
      • ACR Open Rheumatology
    • Rheumatology Image Library
    • Treatment Guidelines
    • Rheumatology Research Foundation
    • Events
  • About Us
    • Mission/Vision
    • Meet the Authors
    • Meet the Editors
    • Contribute to The Rheumatologist
    • Subscription
    • Contact
  • Advertise
  • Search
You are here: Home / Articles / Glaxo’s Move on Physician Compensation Could Signal Shift in Pharmaceutical Promotions

Glaxo’s Move on Physician Compensation Could Signal Shift in Pharmaceutical Promotions

February 14, 2014 • By Richard Quinn

  • Tweet
  • Email
Print-Friendly Version / Save PDF

A major pharmaceutical company’s recent decision to stop paying physicians to promote its products and to cease tying sales-representative compensation to the number of prescriptions physicians write is a move in the right direction, says a member of the ACR’s political action committee, RheumPAC.

You Might Also Like
  • A Guide to Understanding Physician Compensation Models
  • Is It Time to Reevaluate Your Physician Compensation Model?
  • New Blood Thinner ‘Antidote’ to Help Doctors Move Past Warfarin
Also By This Author
  • 2013 ACR/ARHP Annual Meeting: Health Professionals In the Spotlight

But reaction to news reports of the announcement uncovers a deeper issue facing physicians, including rheumatologists: the perception that doctors are paid for every prescription they write, says rheumatologist Chris Morris, MD.

ad goes here:advert-1
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“That’s a sad situation. That’s not anywhere near the truth. We’re not getting paid to prescribe,” says Dr. Morris, who has practiced for nearly 20 years in a three-physician, single-specialty office in Kingsport, Tenn. “I choose medications based on what I think is right for my patient, not because a sales rep gave me a textbook or a better lunch.”

Dr. Morris, who has given talks for pharmaceutical companies on occasion, says he never has done so to “outwardly promote” a specific treatment. He says he doesn’t have a problem with experts or researchers discussing what they have discovered or problems they encountered with a medication.

ad goes here:advert-2
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

“Basically, I just want them to give me the ‘4-1-1’ on a medication,” he says. “There are times they overdo it, and times they underdo it.”

More important to Dr. Morris is GlaxoSmithKline’s announcement it will no longer link sales-rep compensation to prescriptions written.

“[Reps] need to take care that they are not trying to ‘hard-sell’ the drug, rather than act as a resource,” he says.

ad goes here:advert-3
ADVERTISEMENT
SCROLL TO CONTINUE

Dr. Morris expects most other players in the industry to follow Glaxo’s lead. He also hopes the industry will redirect its efforts to educate providers and their patients.

“If pharma would channel what they are giving docs to promote drugs instead to having experts educate us about a disease or a disease state in which their drugs can be used, that would make more sense to me,” he says. “A good example: there are tons of physicians who know very little about the correct management of gout. If pharma would provide non–brand-specific treatment options—that is where patients would benefit.”


Richard Quinn is a freelance writer in New Jersey.

Filed Under: Drug Updates, Pharma Co. News Tagged With: Drug promotion, pharmaceutical company, speaker's fees

You Might Also Like:
  • A Guide to Understanding Physician Compensation Models
  • Is It Time to Reevaluate Your Physician Compensation Model?
  • New Blood Thinner ‘Antidote’ to Help Doctors Move Past Warfarin
  • Ethics Forum: Teach Rheumatology Fellows to Use Good Judgment in Pharmaceutical Company Interactions

American College of Rheumatology

Visit the official website for the American College of Rheumatology.

Visit the ACR »

Rheumatology Research Foundation

The Foundation is the largest private funding source for rheumatology research and training in the U.S.

Learn more »

Simple Tasks

Learn more about the ACR’s public awareness campaign and how you can get involved. Help increase visibility of rheumatic diseases and decrease the number of people left untreated.

Visit the Simple Tasks site »

The Rheumatologist newsmagazine reports on issues and trends in the management and treatment of rheumatic diseases. The Rheumatologist reaches 11,500 rheumatologists, internists, orthopedic surgeons, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals who practice, research, or teach in the field of rheumatology.

About Us / Contact Us / Advertise / Privacy Policy / Terms of Use / Cookie Preferences

  • Connect with us:
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • LinkedIn
  • YouTube
  • Feed

Copyright © 2006–2023 American College of Rheumatology. All rights reserved.

ISSN 1931-3268 (print)
ISSN 1931-3209 (online)