Big Pharma Front Group Launches Anonymous Blog To Publish An ‘Enemies List’
Big Pharma Front Group Launches Anonymous Blog To Publish An ‘Enemies List’
Washington DC Councilmember David Catania has been pushing a bill to require the licensing of pharmaceutical representatives and to prohibit them from providing knowingly false information to doctors. Many pharmaceutical sales reps try to “influence doctors’ prescribing decisions in ways that have little to do with the best interest of the patient” by resorting to “questionable methods, including providing gifts and meals to doctors” in order to promote their drugs.
Advocates of the pharmaceutical industry responded by launching an anonymous blog site devoted to defending the industry’s practices. The site — BigPharmaRealPeople — “grabbed attention with an enemies list” which included Catania, whom it called “public enemy #1.”
The site’s editors had refused to disclose their names and instead adopted the identities from characters in Ayn Rand’s novel Atlas Shrugged. Recently, a poster named “John Galt” revealed himself to be Scott McTavish, a sales rep, sales manager and director for three Big Pharma Companies over the past 30 years. Blogging over at Pharmalot, Ed Silverman challenges the front group to disclose its sponsorship and backing:
One other thing, Scott. Since you chose not to answer any of our messages directly, we are still curious to know more about your background and those of your ’staff.’ We would also like to know what, if any, sponsorship or backing you may have. If you really do enjoy an open debate about all the facts, more disclosure would be helpful – unless your site is merely an example of astroturfing dressed up as a social networking experiment.
The avowed mission of the Big Pharma front group’s website is to “remind the American public who is actually on their side” and to “fight ridiculous government rules and regulation that hamper Big Pharma.” The site’s authors write:
The purpose of BigPharmaRealPeople.org is the following: … To point out that corporations are not faceless, evil giants that take advantage of the individual.
The Washington City Paper responds, “Have to say, guys — this anonymous Web site isn’t doing much to combat that whole ‘faceless’ thing.” And the site isn’t having much success thus far. Catania’s bill passed the D.C. City Council on Tuesday.
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There is always a drug rep in my doctor’s office. And my doctor’s assistant is always giving me bags and bags of pills wanting me to try them.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:33 pmThese guys are so obvious.
Bush’s Holy Trinity: Big Oil, Big Pharma, Big Insurance – all complicit and corrupt and shafting the people.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:35 pmThis is why Karl Rove is the “architect”, the master of all things politic ….
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB119992615845679531.html?mod=opinion_main_commentaries
January 10th, 2008 at 1:36 pm#1 when I see these sycophants in my physician’s office, I just feel sorry for them. They have to scrape the bottom of the barrel to locate someone willing to sell his soul to peddle some of this fraudulent crap to the doctors. Most docs simply relegate them to the ear of some office clerk because they are not intelligent to even speak about the pharmacology with the doctors. Most drug detail men barely scraped by high school.
Which fraudulent drug company’s board of directors does Ghouliani sit on? And he claims that he did not know that the drivel they were spreading the lies about the addicting nature of Oxycontin!! Ghouliani is a liar just like Bush so it’s no wonder that they are strange bedfellows.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:39 pmThe real issue involves the use of private organizations, blogs and other public relations devices that deceive the public as to the sponsorship and motives of the supporting businesses. The common person has little or no voice in the public debate. Lobbyists and large donors buy their “access”, media concentration ends up with a fourth estate assisting in the political goals of GE or Rupert, and public interest groups/blogs become nothing more than one more shill to the public.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:39 pmWhat the hell?
I swear, if this McTavish guy hadn’t outed himself, I’d suspect David Catania of having fronted the whole thing as a publicity stunt. Do these people actually think this site is going to help their cause?
January 10th, 2008 at 1:39 pmIsn’t it fascinating how they use the derogatory name which people have affixed to pharmaceutical companies (Big Pharma) as though it’s a good thing?? They’re so transparent in their fraud that it’s laughable.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:40 pmBig Pharma is running this country along with Big Oil and Big Insurance and screwing the Middle Class in the process. It’s time for the people to stand up to these criminals who are controlling us.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:41 pmGet back to me when our Government can negotiate drug prices.
Right now, it’s illegal for the Feds to try negotiating lower prescription prices with the pharmaceutical industry.
Nice law, eh?
And how about the monopolistic rule that generics can’t enter the market for 11-17 years after the original is released? Wouldn’t Bill Gates love to wrap his arms around that type of progressive thinking?
Truth be told, many of these overpriced drugs are now being made in China. China! Now we’ll get some safety standards and accountability!
January 10th, 2008 at 1:41 pmFederal lobbying from January 2005 through June 2006, a Center for Public Integrity study of disclosure records shows, drug companies and their trade groups spent $155 million lobbying and employed 1100 lobbyists.
Yet, another industry out of control.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:43 pmCatania has been taking hits ever since he fled the Log Cabin Republicans (he was one of their 10 to watch) over the gay marriage issue.
But before that he was a card-carrying GOP’er. He took thousands in campaign contributions in 2002 from Mitchell Wade (MZM) was well as from Jack Abramoff’s “company ” KayGold. Catania has explained neither of the contributions.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:44 pm.
BIG PHARMA’s on our side IF they can make a profit.
If not, we’re the enemy…
“You’re either with us, or you’re with the turrists”
Q U E S T I O N:
HOW MUCH DID CHRIST EARN FROM HIS SOCIAL SERVICES?
.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:44 pmFrom the website:
http://www.bigpharmarealpeople.org/register.asp
Please send us your stories, comments, essays, feedback, pictures, etc. We are waiting to here from you. We need to act now to stop the moochers and the looters of Big Pharma. Our feedback email address is: comments@BigPharmaRealPeople.org
Fifth word, second sentence shows just how professional these people are.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:54 pmInteresting that they would choose Ayn Rand, who also says in Atlas Shrugged:
“That which you call your soul or spirit is your consciousness, and that which you call ‘free will’ is your mind’s freedom to think or not, the only will you have, your only freedom, the choice that controls all the choices you make and determines your life and your character.”
Seems character is the last thing the industry is concerned with.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:56 pmWow, that website is really lame. Take a look at it in Firefox. What did they do, hire some high school kid to design it for them. Wait…I take that back, a high school kid could do much better.
That site is NOT going to make them any friends, that’s for sure.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:58 pmThere is always a drug rep in my doctor’s office. And my doctor’s assistant is always giving me bags and bags of pills wanting me to try them.
These guys are so obvious.
Comment by Guido OBGYN Lover
The sad thing about it is that a recent study showed that those samples are generally given to patients who can afford to pay for them and not to patients who can’t afford to pay for their prescriptions.
It’s all about greed. That is what this country has become.
January 10th, 2008 at 1:59 pmWow. Mr Catania must be feeling pretty flattered right now. Big Pharma is askeert of him!
January 10th, 2008 at 2:02 pmThe following corporations are Chairman’s Circle members of the Partnership for a Drug Free America (corporations who have donated over $50,000):
Bristol-Myers Squibb Foundation
Consumer Healthcare Products Association
Johnson & Johnson
Pfizer Foundation, Inc.
Procter & Gamble
Schering-Plough Corporation
Not implying anything… just saying.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:02 pmBiig Pharma is shooting itself in the foot big time: they say this guy is an “enemy to BigPharma, big business, and capitalism.”
Which means “big business” and “capitalism” are the self-described goals of “bigPharma.” Not very smart for BigPharma if they are out there trying to claim they make drugs to help people. Here, they imply they only make drugs for “big-business” and “capitalism.”
If they were smart, they would say this guys is an enemy to medicines that help people… but they can’t do that because just like they accuse Catania of “inventing solutions for which there are no problems” (ahem, ever hear of VIOXX???), BigPharma invents drugs for which their are no problems.
oops, I gotta go now because I feel my “restless leg syndrome acting up…”
:-)
January 10th, 2008 at 2:05 pmWe regulate the used car sales industry. You would think a little oversight on pharmacy reps would be of some social import.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:06 pmFourteen Defining Characteristics of Fascism
#9. Power of corporations protected. Although the personal life of ordinary citizens was under strict control, the ability of large corporations to operate in relative freedom was not compromised. The ruling elite saw the corporate structure as a way to not only ensure military production (in developed states), but also as an additional means of social control. Members of the economic elite were often pampered by the political elite to ensure a continued mutuality of interests, especially in the repression of “have-not†citizens.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:07 pmThe network evening news is almost entirely sponsored by the pharmaceutical industry. Why would a sales rep be necessary? The ads tell you to “ask your doctor if you think you should be taking (insert drug name).” Usually, they don’t even tell you what the drug is for, they just ask you to ask your doctor if you should be taking it. What a hoot.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:11 pmComment by Dr. Matt — January 10, 2008 @ 2:16 pm
How about a drug to cure bloodlust & warmongering? That would be good.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:26 pmthirty+ years ago i worked as a tech in hospital pharmacy…
January 10th, 2008 at 2:31 pmnot so many reps visit hospitals, but the pharmacists i worked under
were very adament that the techs check and double check the doctors orders for meds… it was common knowledge, even then, that doctors
relied on the reps to educate them about the meds… with all the new
drugs coming to the market every month, i would imagine that is an
even greater problem these days…
Usually, they don’t even tell you what the drug is for, they just ask you to ask your doctor if you should be taking it. What a hoot.
Comment by leftcoast
I asked my doctor once if anyone actually did that and she said, “Unfortunately, yes they do”. She finds it very frustrating since she would obviously be prescribing the drug for the patient if she thought it was appropriate.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:34 pmkaty- about that many years ago the reps visited Air Force hospitals and would set up in our med library. Free donuts. It’s come a long way since. But, as you describe, it was a necessary thing to educate on the new drugs.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:36 pmHuh. If we liberals are “moonbats” – these people are VAMPIRE bats.
*eyeroll*
January 10th, 2008 at 2:37 pmbilbobaggins- I actually asked my doctor if I should be taking a drug just for a laugh. We did.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:38 pmSounds more like David Cantana is Public Hero #1.
Big Pharma companies are praying on an under informed and under educated public. I’m sure everyone here has seen the constant bombardment of their TV commercials that offer any and everything to cure any sort of condition that the public thinks they might have.
Don’t take care of the condition thru prevention, take a pill that will give you constipation, head aches, bleeding from the anus, mussel cramps, itchy eyes, etc. etc.
Buck Fush
January 10th, 2008 at 2:42 pmIronic. Ayn Rand is the man Alan Greenspan worshipped. Ayn Rand is the guru for business deregulation and consolidation.
Following Ayn Rand’s extremist ideology is what led Alan Greenspan to turn a blind eye to the practices which led to the sub-prime crisis.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:45 pmRegarding the above post about big Pharma contributing for the “Partnership for a Drug Free America”, big Pharma enjoys a $20 billion a year business in addictive, daily-dosage, psycoactive pills for anxiety and depression.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:45 pmA Big Phuckoff to Big Pharma.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:46 pmIts a “collectivist†myth that businessmen, left to their own devices, “would attempt to sell unsafe food and drugs, fraudulent securities, and shoddy buildings….it is in the self-interest of every businessman to have a reputation for honest dealings and a quality product.â€
- Alan Greenspan, in a 1963 essay for deregulation guru Ayn Rand’s newsletter
January 10th, 2008 at 2:46 pmRight, that’s an Ayn Rand Objectivist for you. He’s sure of something which has never been demonstrated in practice or in history. It’s really more of a religion than a philosophy.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:51 pmAnd, while we’re on the subject of Alan Greenspan and his Ayn Rand claptrap, let me point out that the “esteemed political reporter” Andrea Mitchell, who is supposed to be part of a “liberal media” establishment, is married to the old fool.
January 10th, 2008 at 2:52 pmFascism & Big Business go hand-in-hand
http://www.commondreams.org/views05/0930-25.htm
January 10th, 2008 at 2:58 pmI am proud to say that my physician gives out tons of samples to people who cannot afford to purchase them or are having trouble making ends meet. That is one way to make the drug companies help the poor.
January 10th, 2008 at 3:07 pmi think it IS fantastic that so many “big, strong men” have been
January 10th, 2008 at 3:12 pmso influenced by a WOMAN… heh…
Big Pharma need only look in the mirror for its ‘enemies list’!
January 10th, 2008 at 3:14 pmWith apologizes and thanks to Jefferson Starship:
“When logic and proportion
Have fallen sloppy dead
And the White Knight is talking backwards
And the Red Queen’s “off with her head!”
Remember what the dormouse said:
“Feed your head…”
wish Big Pharma would produce a cure for conservatism.
Comment by Dr. Matt — January 10, 2008 @ 2:16 pm
How about a drug to cure bloodlust & warmongering? That would be good.
Comment by mary — January 10, 2008 @ 2:26 pm
Mary/Dr. Matt,
January 10th, 2008 at 3:16 pmThat drug is already out there, and best of all you can grow it yourself. Ask Rastaman to hook you up!
I worked 15 years for one of the biggest companies in Big Pharma. I saw them work hand-in-glove to push the Medicare Part D law through (which benefits them hugely), saw them continue to push Vioxx, despite the KNOWN dangers, among other actions. One of the most egregious statements I ever heard came out of the mouth of a department manager when responding to the latest reports on sales of anti-cholesterol drugs: “Thank God for McDonalds and Burger King!
As far as I’m concerned, healthcare should go single-payor and drug companies should be nationalized.
January 10th, 2008 at 3:18 pmTake insurance carriers out of the prescription drug and health care system and prices will fall dramatically.
January 10th, 2008 at 3:27 pmYankeluh – i understand, and have been on the receiving end of, the physician’s generous handout of sample drugs…
but, it should be obvious why those samples are out there -
to get the patient to USE that drug and hopefully need MORE…
but not for free next time…
legitimate drug pushers…
January 10th, 2008 at 3:34 pm#42 Comment by impeachcheneythenbush
January 10th, 2008 at 4:01 pmgreat post
We have one huge sickly, over weight depressed population of folks… didn’t have this in the old days when the food was pure and the true exercise was there. Do you suppose the FDA is not doing their job in properly over seeing the food products creating this overwhelming need for drugs? I do… on purpose….?
I would bet many of the health problems would be solved if folks would quit shopping in the middle of the grocery stores where all the crap is and stayed on the outside areas where the produce is.
Isn’t it fascinating how they use the derogatory name which people have affixed to pharmaceutical companies (Big Pharma) as though it’s a good thing?? They’re so transparent in their fraud that it’s laughable.
Comment by Veritas — January 10, 2008 @ 1:40 pm
Heh, I thought the same thing. Kinda like when White Castle started referring to their own burgers as “Sliders” like it was a good thing.
January 10th, 2008 at 5:20 pmThat quote by Greenspan is quite possibly the stupidest thing I’ve ever read. His quote was made prior to the Enron debacle, but there were plenty of crooked businessmen who were investigated by the Truman Committee during WWII.
“It’s a “capitalist†myth that businessmen, left to their own devices, wouldn’t attempt to sell unsafe food and drugs, fraudulent securities, and shoddy buildings…it is obvious to anyone with any knowledge of history that there will always be businessmen who put their desire to make a quick buck over their reputation and the health and well-being of their customers.”
- Tom O’Brien, in a 2008 comment on the Thinkprogress website.
January 10th, 2008 at 6:03 pmWhat the hell?
I swear, if this McTavish guy hadn’t outed himself, I’d suspect David Catania of having fronted the whole thing as a publicity stunt. Do these people actually think this site is going to help their cause?
Comment by sammybaby
Just shows how arrogant they are…..they know nothing will be done so they don’t even have to worry about it.
January 11th, 2008 at 8:02 amIf you actually visit their site, they are using commercial images which are undoubtedly *not* licensed for use by Disney.
Maybe someone should tell Disney about this…
January 11th, 2008 at 2:27 pm