Companies milking relationships with physicians in Scotland
Physicians in Scotland are being wooed—but this time, the wooer isn’t big pharma. It’s big milk, as in formula milk companies who are providing all kinds of goodies in hopes the docs will recommend nursing mothers to choose formula. From The Sunday Times:
- “Paediatricians were taken out to dinner and the opera at Glyndebourne by formula milk companies and air fares have been paid for doctors to attend a meeting in Switzerland,” he said.
While the payment of travel and accommodation expenses to doctors is shrouded in secrecy, sponsorship of medical events by formula manufacturers is commonplace.
Last year, Wright and other paediatricians boycotted the annual meeting of the RCPCH in Scotland after the event was sponsored by SMA Nutrition, one of the leading infant formula milk manufacturers.
The company also ran a competition for doctors to win an all-expenses paid trip “covering travel and accommodation costs up to Ł400” to attend one of its study days. In addition, the company has run competitions for doctors to win SMA-branded toy boxes for their waiting rooms.
May 18th, 2006 at 3:54 pm
This is really no different from how manufacturers and service providers woo clients in other industries; egregious examples include management consultants buying clients thousand dollar designer suits.
It’s one thing to “woo” pediatricians who may recommend infant formulas. Quite another when you’re talking about drug companies who may woo pediatricians to write certain drugs in this vulnerable population.
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