Psychiatrist Daniel Carlat has been blogging this week about drugmaker Schering-Plough making "aggressive use of hired guns to get psychiatrists to prescribe its new antipsychotic" SAPHRIS (asenapine) for the treatment of both schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.
Carlat writes:
"Oddly, the company just sent me a SAPHRIS Speaker Bureau invitation packet. I guess my 2007 New York Times Magazine memoir describing the tangled ethics of promotional speaking has not yet become required reading at Schering-Plough. ...
They offered me $170,000 for 125 presentations (of 45 minutes each)...What a fiasco for the company. Talk about a bad stumble as they are about to launch their new antipsychotic. I haven't heard any official Schering-Plough comment on this matter yet, but here is how I predict the statement will read: "Speaker programs are intended to enhance a healthcare professional's knowledge and patient care expertise." Wait--they can't use that line, because it was already used by Eli Lilly. I guess they'll have to make up their own sophisticated BS."
Leave a comment
My policy on commentsI'm adopting the policy of a blog I admire: “Comments are great; obnoxious comments get deleted. Deal." I also won’t post profanity, product pitches, or anything from anyone who doesn’t list what appears to be an actual e-mail address.