Bad beyond pharma

The alleged multi-level marketing practice of a local pharmaceutical company exposed by media is now the talk of the health care community.

Briefly, a local pharmaceutical company “B” built by enterprising doctors/businessmen incorporated multi-level marketing schemes and practices in their sale of the medicines they manufacture or “carry.” Company “B” was so successful that they allegedly sold more meds than the largest local pharmaceutical company in the country, Company “U.”

Doctors were incentivized to prescribe their medicines by giving concert tickets, foreign trips and luxury SUVs. As a result, competitors of Company “B” were boxed out of the Philippine Heart Center. Unfortunately, not even Company “U” dared to complain publicly for fear of being ostracized by doctors.

If the PHC Board and ethics committee want to clear their physicians and their reputation, all they need to do is to review the patients’ files and prescriptions. My doctors are from the PHC and none of my prescriptions are from Company “B.”

Observers say that the older set of physicians, 40 years old and above, generally ignore advances of med reps because they are already well-established in their practice. The newbies or doctors starting out in the profession are more likely to get enticed or tempted with such offers for a variety of reasons.

To begin with, new MDs are trying to build up their career and develop their network of contacts in the field. They are the ones who are more accommodating and tend to try new products. Getting a bundle of samples, invites to scientific seminars are also very attractive for MDs who want to pass on free meds to financially challenged or poor patients. They may be playing nice to aggressive or attractive med reps, but MLM is bad medicine.

Many of these young MDs lease/own and maintain two to three clinics inside hospitals in Metro Manila. For every clinic, they need to hire at least one office manager or share in their services. In some hospitals, some doctors have split the days in the week or between a.m. and p.m. to cut their out-of-pocket costs.

Problem #1 that needs to be investigated is the extremely expensive and commercialized cost of