No Free Lunch
Among the many exhibits showcasing pharmaceuticals and technology products at this year's AAFP meeting was one exhibit devoted to urging physicians not to accept free gifts from pharmaceutical reps. No Free Lunch is a group of physicians and other health care providers who say that the promotional efforts of drug companies are unduly influencing physicians. The issue is “much bigger than pens and gifts,” said Paul Bergeron, M.D., an internist based in Portsmouth, N.H., who participated in an ethics panel discussion at the American College of Physicians meeting earlier this year. If the pharmaceutical company offers something that benefits patients, such as compliance programs free of charge, that's okay, he said. “What we shouldn't be taking are things that personally benefit the physician. If they pay me $1,000 to talk about a drug at a conference, that's not appropriate.”