Doctors in the pay of pharma

by rdan

An article in Forbes states:

Brilliant doctors often work closely with big drug companies, and they seem to like their corporate partners just fine. Too fine, say their vocal critics–no doctor can have objective views about Lipitor when he takes Pfizer’s money to develop or test it. But when the critics are doctors themselves, as they quite often are, keep in mind that there’s a deeper conflict in play here that the critics never acknowledge or discuss. By working at the cutting edge of pharmacology in close collaboration with Big Pharma, top-tier doctors are taking over the whole medical show. It’s because of their work that so many of their less able colleagues are destined to provide doc-in-a-box services at Wal-Mart, at cut-rate prices prescribed by Big Insurance or Big Government.

There you go. Directly stated with no reservation. Status. Monetary connections. Drugs replace other kinds of care. No links, no on the other hand. I wonder what my doc might say as a general practioner and on the low end of the pecking order. Be careful what you wish for, you might get it.