Have I mentioned

[DCJenn]

That my husband is at a fab dinner at Ruth's Chris Steak House tonight? Drug rep dinner.

I better be getting a gooey, chocolatey dessert, I tell you.

Jenn

[ladymoreta]

Hehe, I hope it's yummy!

[DCJenn]

and it's a flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce.

YUM!

[Vishenka69]

Mine knows to bring back goodies. Wonder what I'll be getting tomorrow.

[Meenah]

I went to a Drug Rep dinner there last month. OMG it was the best steak I have ever had.

[Phoebe]

Yum!

[Amiens]

Yum! I hope you get some goodies.

[MarissaNicole]

The amount of money they spend feeding doctors.... don't you think that is just one of the things wrong with our healthcare system? I mean don't get me wrong my husband takes full advantage of these things even as a student (free catered luncheons) and I could be wrong maybe they are beneficial for the doctors.... but I just can't help but think this is one example of inefficiency that skews the cost of healthcare?

Sorry for the hijack... but it just makes me think?

[ladymoreta]

Meh, I think I'd rather see drug reps spending money talking to doctors than putting ads on TV where people can self-diagnose, then go in to their doctor and insist on getting a prescription for expensive new drugs that do the same thing as the one that just lost its patent. Probably much cheaper and more efficient to arrange time to talk to them in an office setting, but how many doctors would make time for them during a busy day?

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

Drugs are ~10% of the cost of healthcare. While I agree that some drugs are overpriced and you should always try to use an equally effective generic when possible, I think that there are greater efficiencies to be found in the system.

I'm biased though because I'm a consultant for the life sciences industry.

I would favor some form of tort reform combined with approaches to lower the cost of drugs so doctors can stop practicing defensive medicine and therefore bring down the costs that way. But I'm sure if I were a lawyer, I wouldn't support that.

I think everyone has to give some but it annoys me that people pin all of our healthcare woes on drug companies. The pharma companies have already made some concessions ($80 BB) and while I think they can do more, I haven't seen insurance companies give concessions yet.

[NYCHoosier]

Glad you got some cake!!


As for the other question, I think of it like this...
Developing new drugs and treatments is, on the whole, a good thing. We want new innovations, new ways to save lives and/or make them more comfortable. It's also very, very expensive. So, to take the time to develop one that actually works you want to then make sure you can make back what you invested.

I know dinners out seem like a large expense, but when you know your target market that precisely, direct marketing is the most cost effective. I mean, a dinner is what, $100? $150? And you know you're talking directly to a person who can not only prescribe your product, but also talk to others in the target market about it. Meanwhile, a national commercial will cost a lot more and there will be a lot of waste coverage because most people who see it won't need the drug.

Now, I tend to be of the mindset that an integrated marketing strategy is the most thorough, so I'm not saying it should be all dinners and no commercials. However, I'm confident the ROI is greater with the dinners than with the ads and therefore not particularly wasteful.

[DCJenn]

This was actually a beneficial thing for them- besides the dinner. It's a new generation epilepsy med and they really knew nothing about it. It's not indicated for children (but honestly NONE of them are) but he really wanted to hear about what it does or doesn't do.

I don't think that's a bad use of Pharma dollars- 15+ neurologists all in the same location is pretty hard to pull off so...

Jenn

[NYCHoosier]

This was actually a beneficial thing for them- besides the dinner. It's a new generation epilepsy med and they really knew nothing about it. It's not indicated for children (but honestly NONE of them are) but he really wanted to hear about what it does or doesn't do.

I don't think that's a bad use of Pharma dollars- 15+ neurologists all in the same location is pretty hard to pull off so...

Jenn

Oh yeah, that's definitely the other big part of it. Sorry - was purely thinking from a marketing/ROI point of view!

Doctors have to learn about new drugs thoroughly enough to prescribe them or not prescribe them, so something long, like a dinner, allows time for that thorough introduction.

[TulipsAndSunscreen]

This was actually a beneficial thing for them- besides the dinner. It's a new generation epilepsy med and they really knew nothing about it. It's not indicated for children (but honestly NONE of them are) but he really wanted to hear about what it does or doesn't do.

I don't think that's a bad use of Pharma dollars- 15+ neurologists all in the same location is pretty hard to pull off so...

Jenn

Funny. I know the drug. And that's right, very few are approved for children but they all get use!

I don't know how else busy specialists will get news.

[GrayMatterWife]

and it's a flourless chocolate cake with raspberry sauce.

YUM!

I wish I hadn't read this thread. Now I am drooling. I LOVE THOSE.