Wilmont Kreis

Marketing: I have been asked if my portrayal of drug and implement representatives is overstated. It may be in some cases, but in others, I feel it is on the mark. Even though the pharmaceutical business is generally ethical and highly regulated, they are businesses and the goal of business is to sell its product. As in other industries, the salesmen are frequently compensated by the volume of the sales. As a young orthopedic resident, I remember a drug rep assuring me that Valium was in no way addictive. I have never had a rep caution me that their product was too dangerous. Although the regulators have tried to control it, incentives like, dinners, trips and gifts still abound for receptive physicians. If you have an opportunity to peruse a medical journal, especially one on pain management, look at the ads. Are they very different from those we saw ten years ago from the tobacco industry?