MS treatment

[jojt]

What would you think if your doctor (MS specialist) was receiving gifts (money) from a pharmaceutical company that manufactures and sells the drug/treatment they are currently prescribing to you?

[jimeka]

Immoral especially if he is pushing that drug onto his patients, he hasn’t got the patients well being at heart. 👎

[Amore55]

I agree with jimeka! It sounds like the doctor is only looking out for himself, not the patients. Please let us know what you decide to do. Very interesting.

[NorasMom]

If this is actual cash, then I think it's illegal as well as immoral. However, if it's just free samples and promotional merchandise, it's very normal.

If you don't feel that the drug you're getting is appropriate for you, discuss the matter with him and consider finding a new doctor.

When I was without insurance, my GP would "prescribe" some of the free samples she'd received when they were suitable for my health condition. She saved me a lot of money back then.

[goatgal]

Some doctors refuse to take samples and other gratuities (e.g. conference freebies, luncheons, etc) from big pharmaceutical companies. There's an internet site where you can check doctors by name to see who participates (I've lost the web address but you youngsters are savvy enough to find it!) I don't like the practice and try to select doctors who won't participate. But, as NorasMom says, it's very normal.

[kdali]

Depends on if I felt they were pushing that med without giving me a fair chance to choose, which is gross.

[bxrmom in reply to kdali]

I agree with kdali ! If they are trying to push a drug without giving you other choices, that is wrong!

[falalalala]

Untrustworthy.

[MsBoo]

I would report him/her. And find me another dang dr for sure!!!!!!

[MarkUpnorth]

The all paid trips in the carribean are nice. But you have to attend a bfast meeting on the drug paying for the trip. Else it's not legal. My wife lived next to a big lawyer who made his money setting up such trips for his clients, including drug companies,..

I should have been a doctor. No freebies for engineers or contractor/owners. I did get a couple really nice lamps cheap from a place that made them. Still have them. But the plating is worn in areas. Company went bakrupt in 2000. Vintage lamps in good condition are worth $$. Tools went to China. Bldg has been converted to residential condos.

[palomino27]

MS doctors meet with and are pressured by the drug companies mainly because the MS drugs are so expensive. But, if I had proof they were taking money or anything financial I'd call the police.

[jojt]

It's all legal what they are doing and it's public knowledge.

Openpaymentsdata.cms.gov

[Sandydemop in reply to jojt]

thanks for this website! i just checked out my neurologist. one year she made $125,000. I wonder what she was doing. Speaking? teaching?

[wolfmom21fl in reply to Sandydemop]

It tells you what the payments were if you dig deeper in the charts.. unfortunately this site only shows up to 2020 so it's outdated.. My own Doctor had taken cash and gifts of over $10 K in that one year.. Mostly from EMD Soreno, the makers of Mavenclad.. I remember him pushing that drug HARD HARD HARD when I was switching in early 2020 but I refused it because of the much higher risk of cancer and my family history.. I have lost 90% of my family members to cancer.. including my son, so no thanks, I'm good.. plus I thought after read the handling the handling profile on this one, I thought anything i had to wear gloves to touch for fear of cytotoxicity, is not something I want to take into my body

[Frances_B in reply to wolfmom21fl]

The reported "increased" risk of cancer with Mavenclad (cladribine) was an anomaly in the clinical trials - the placebo arms of the trials had no cancer cases while the cancer rate in the drug arms was in fact a "normal" risk - which should also have been apparent in the placebo arms.

"Focusing on cancers observed in pwRMS treated with cladribine in CLARITY (and ORACLE MS) might lead to the suspicion that cladribine plays a causative role, given the fact that 3 pwRMS on cladribine developed cancer whereas none on placebo did. However, comparison with other DMDs shows that the number of malignancies in CLARITY was not increased. Indeed, the cancer rate in CLARITY was among the lowest observed for any treatment group..."

nn.neurology.org/content/2/....

See under the Discussion heading at the end of the article.

[JMWCO]

If you go to a research facility they all have support from multiple drug companies Dr o do independent research and trials- a lot of that money goes to funding fellows(young drs) and trials but all conducted by the schools/research hospitals.

If it’s an independent Dr getting a chunk of cash and not for good reasons but nefarious one’s 💯 agree - runaway.

You should always be given choices in meds even if you don’t know what to pick.

My guidance initially was horrible - a bunch of drug packets dropped on me with no clear directions but I also get why now but it would have been nice to understand the clinics preferred choices and why.

Hth

[sashaming1]

No problem. Its up to us to do the research and decide what DMT to use (the choices are fairly limited). The Dr. should be OK with any decision we make and change the DMT if it is not working good.

[Buttermom]

Taking kickbacks is illegal if the drug is being paid for by a federal healthy care program. Otherwise it's still highly frowned upon by the AMA and I would find another doctor and report the first one.

[mrsmike9]

That's unethical! I hope your dr isn't doing this!

[ahrogers]

It is possible the doctor gets paid to speak at programs about the drug and that's why they are getting money. My previous neuro participated in a lot of clinical trials and would speak for some of the drug companies. I still trusted his judgment. His nurse had MS. I never felt pressured to go on a specific DMT.As an oncology nurse I can tell you in the past 8-10 years they have limited what can be given to doctors offices. They can't even give us pens or post its with a drug name on it as it is considered influential in getting doctors to prescribe specific drugs. They can still bring food and information to educate staff and doctors. They will sponsor dinner programs where we get free food and listen to someone speak abiut the drug. These dinners are very informative for us bedside staff. Not sure if these rules were specific to oncology pharma companies though. Haven't been to any lately due to Covid.

[Sandydemop]

I don't believe my doctor pushes anything or gets a kickback. I believe she has my best interest at heart.

[pamgarner]

i think all the dr.s do that, how many times have you gone to the dr. and they give you samples for the drug they are prescribing you? my hubby had to change diabetic medicine and they only make 2 that don't hurt your kidneys,well guess what,with insurance new med is 450.00 a month, no way, but I figured out a way to get it