No more free lunches: It is time to own up

doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7410.342-b

BMJ 2003;327:342 (9 August), doi:10.1136/bmj.327.7410.342-b

Letter

No more free lunches

It is time to own up

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

EDITOR—I am always amazed by the naivety of my colleagues as they accept yet another free lunch/pen/foreign trip.¹ Theyfail to recognise the sophistication of pharmaceutical marketingand excuse their behaviour on various grounds:

"It doesn't influence me." If this were true, drug representativeswould lose interest and move on to someone who is more easily influenced
"The NHS cannot afford postgraduate education without sponsorship."Sponsorship comes from NHS funds, paid to thecompanies in exchange for expensive drugs. If drugs had discountsperhapseducation would be affordable. Courses that do notresult inincreased drug sales find sponsorship hard to obtain.

Doctors do not realise that this behaviour is not usual. Moststaff in either the public or private sector are not permittedto accept significant hospitality from those who sell productsto their organisation. Many are horrified at the willingnessof doctors to see sales represenatives . . . [Full text of this article]

Colin Fitzpatrick, medical adviser

Eastern Health and Social Services Board, Belfast BT2 8BS cfitzptk@ehssb.n-i.nhs.uk