Deval Patrick is my kind of politician, even if I don't agree with him all the time... The man is a mover and a shaker

Beck Bristow: The man is a mover and a shaker

Cheap furniture relocation with a side of religious humility and solid work ethic. Good combo.

I hope his principles will be enough to keep all those newly unemployed people warm this winter...

Why don't people call this what it is? Corruption. On a large scale.

Mayor Fenty in D.C. is scaring the crap out of the old line pols. They actually have to get some work accomplished in his administration. We need more folks like these.

Empty threat.

Prediction: He'll cave.

Problem: This legislation is the right thing to do and every state should do it. Medical practice has been compromised for too long by a drug industry that bribes the doctors to recommend their medicines. It farking sucks.

Subby: Drug companies warn Massachusetts governor that they will leave state if he signs bill prohibiting them from bribing doctors

Yes, if by warn you mean threaten.

Assholes. I'll never forget the time I went to the doctor for depression. During the 30min appointment, he spent about 28 mins telling me how he felt I should be on a cholesterol lowering drug (I was 23 at the time, I told him fark off). So the last minute or so, I said, "You know, I'm actually here because I'm fighting depression."

He went over to his cabinet and pulled out a bunch of samples of Cymbalta. "Here take these for a month or so and get back to me."

I took them for a week and couldn't deal with the side effects. Never went back to him.

Well, now how will I find out about the latest medications to treat serious illnesses such as Restless Leg Syndrome, Itchy Nose Syndrome, and There's Something In My Eyetis.

They deserve to have to pay for new offices elsewhere... until that state boots them out. Eventually all drug companies will only be in DC as bribery is a sport there.

The last time I took my wife to a psychiatrist, the doctor had a big bowl of pharmaceutical company pens on her desk. I asked if I could have one.

She said that I could take as many as I wanted because she had a whole closet full of the damned things.

Now I'm not going to run out of pens for decades ;)

interesting, more indication that romney's health care system is working. i don't agree with deval on everything (casinos? wtf man, the lottery fleeces enough people every year), but he likes to attack shiat like this. take on the turnpike authority for farks sake!!!

It's marketing and advertisement, not bribery.

I agree. Drug reps are largely just annoying speed bumps. However, The occasional salad or pen is nothing compared to what it used to be before PHARMA started policing themselves.

I used to speak for Glaxo- mostly on Advair- but I stopped because of the perception that I was "on the payroll". I made a couple grand a year from the speaking, but its not like i was paying my mortgage with it. I knew it was time to quit when a primary care doc referred to me as "Glaxo's boy".

Also, there's a misconception out there that MD's take kickbacks for writing certain drugs- that doesn't happen.

And those "lavish trips" you hear about to Vegas or Miami might as well be in Des Moines since all you do is sit in a conference room for a weekend and have them brainwash you with their drug propaganda. I quit doing those, too.

The real area of concern is medical device sales. Those guys have no limits on what they can do, so the orthopods still get trips, rounds of golf, etc. One guy I know sells spinal implants and his commission on a surgery is higher than the surgeons fee.

That's farked.

Blues_X: Well, now how will I find out about the latest medications to treat serious illnesses such as Restless Leg Syndrome, Itchy Nose Syndrome, and There's Something In My Eyetis.



Scientist: I've invented a pill that gives worms to ex-girlfriends.
Don: Uh, right, and what's positive about that?
Scientist: Well, it's a pill that gives worms to ex-girlfriends.
Don: Couldn't it also give worms to ex-boyfriends?
Scientist: This is a drug... for the world... to give worms to ex-girlfriends.
Don: Well, great. Thanks for stopping by.
Scientist: You just don't get it here! Huhoooo!

Good on the governor. Laws like these need to be passed in every state.

The threat is not credible. About eight seconds after they would refuse to do business in Mass, the Congress would land on their hineys, and the Big Pharma luxury ride comes to an end.

Let them go. Hopefully they leave the US alltogether

Nestea Plunge: They get a lot of sweet deals in MA, and MA gets a bunch of taxes from them, this is an empty threat.

The companies have too much infrastructure to leave easily. They have a few too many labs, a few too many research fellows invested in Harvard and others to leave easily.

But, they do have a crap ton of money invested in the both parties. Boston politics is hard scrabble and it's dirty, and has been for years. It basically boils down to, who they can bribe and how easily they can hide it. I'll give Patrick credit for trying, but like the horrible insurance bill that passed, I fear that eventually they'll just cave because there's just too much money invested in their campaigns to ignore.

It's less about a "chilling effect" on business, than it is to preserve access for the future. Pharms tend to think in the long term, and longer so than a lot of the politicians that they service--at least longer than their terms, so in order to preserve the order, they want to keep their pols on a short term leash. Their terms are the perfect way of keeping them to heel--they can run against the natural order, and the way they like to do business, or they can try to go it without those pockets to dip into.

1proudneocon: It's marketing and advertisement, not bribery.

No, it's bribery. And really, it isn't so much about the free trips and lunches. That's small potatoes. It's the "if you start prescribing our medication or using our equipment, we'll make generous donations so you can afford a new MRI machine" kind of crap.

No, it's bribery. And really, it isn't so much about the free trips and lunches. That's small potatoes. It's the "if you start prescribing our medication or using our equipment, we'll make generous donations so you can afford a new MRI machine" kind of crap.

I'm sure you can document this. Otherwise you're talking out your ass.

Doubtful...

Also, I'll hold any criticism of Patrick for the day(all bets are off tomorrow, though), as he signed the LNG Buffer Bill proposed by Rep. Sullivan and others.

When drug reps buy the Docs office staff lunch, they are hoping to get 20 minutes of so of face time with the Docs in the lunch room. Often times the Docs will drive hard bargains with the reps. Such as give me a giant bag of samples for my indigent patents. Some cancer drugs cost over $2400 per shot with patients getting two or three shots a week. The docs I know tell the reps to help them out with the indigent patients or they will use someone elses drugs. In this process many sick people get expensive drugs they couldn't otherwise afford. So called "big Pharma" makes a shiatload of money, no doubt, but they save a shiatload of peoples lives. End of sermon. Smoke em if ya got em.

Nothing wrong with our health care system, folks. Move along--nothing to see here.

JoeBagadonutz: In this process many sick people get expensive drugs they couldn't otherwise afford

In my experience this would be a very rare occurrence. You cant float someone on samples forever and drug reps aren't leaving you freebies on chemotherapeutics to try.

Kome: It's the "if you start prescribing our medication or using our equipment, we'll make generous donations so you can afford a new MRI machine" kind of crap

That stuff never happens. MD's don't get kickbacks for anything. The laws governing this are very strict and harsh.

NikolaiFarkoff: Beck Bristow: The man is a mover and a shaker

Cheap furniture relocation with a side of religious humility and solid work ethic. Good combo.

For the Win. Wow.

Blues_X: Restless Leg Syndrome

the only people who laugh at RLS are the people who haven't had it.

/i'd rather have normal insomnia

I've always had a hunch that doctors and drug companies were in bed together, and this removes all doubt.

So dope pimps are gonna pull up stakes, with a lot of sunk costs involved, if they can't use bribes to pimp their dope to the dealers?

Medical profiteering in the guise of health care, is there anything it can't do?

FTA: This legislation would demonize an industry and the thousands of professionals that comprise it.

Seems the industry has been doing a heckuva job at that already.

Having to report gifts to doctors of more than $50 will have: "a direct and immediate devastating impact on the lives of thousands of people across the Commonwealth" by curtailing clinical trials here... how exactly?

This is clearly payola on a massive scale. That they are even having this debate shows just how corrupt the medical industry has become...

Hooray for privatized healthcare!

1proudneocon: It's marketing and advertisement, not bribery.

Imagine what medical advances could be made if the money spent on marketing was diverted to R&D.

NOOooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo.....that's the only enjoyable part of my dr. visits.....seeing the hot drug sales reps!

The bill doesn't force them to stop taking handouts from the drug companies.

It just makes them report what handouts they are getting that are worth over $50. How is this going to kill off the entire medical industry in Mass.?

bunner: So dope pimps are gonna pull up stakes, with a lot of sunk costs involved, if they can't use bribes to pimp their dope to the dealers?

Medical profiteering in the guise of health care, is there anything it can't do?

Selling things = profiteering?

Nestea Plunge: C,mon. Who hasn't had their dick sucked by a busty "drug rep".

You just gave me a asthma attack laughing

Galileo's Daughter: 1proudneocon: It's marketing and advertisement, not bribery.

Imagine what medical advances could be made if the money spent on marketing was diverted to R&D.

Imagine what medical advancements wouldn't have been made if not for private drug companies.

"Imagine what medical advances could be made if the money spent on marketing was diverted to R&D."

Less marketing = fewer profits = less money for research.

Don't let the door hit you in your tiny blue pill-shaped ass on the way out...

Beck Bristow: Deval Patrick is my kind of politician, even if I don't agree with him all the time... The man is a mover and a shaker

Gather round folks, step right up. See a bona-fide MORON on full display. Don't get too close folks, he may bite!

MadAsshatter:

Selling things making damn sure your stuff gets moved as often as possible, for any vague reason by obligating your vendors with bribes = profiteering?

Um, yeah.

doublesecretprobation: casinos? wtf man, the lottery fleeces enough people every year)

Some people will throw their money away on games of chance, weather legal or illegal. Why NOT have the money go to the state, instead of thugs in Southie?

/has no idea why ANYONE would be opposed to a casino in Mass!

1proudneocon: It's marketing and advertisement, not bribery.

all he's asking them to do is report it, not stop. if there's nothing fishy going on, why does anyone have a problem with that......

My dr seems to have as many reps visiting as patients. I don't care, because I get free samples when I switch drugs. And I mostly get generic classics anyway.

what_now:

/has no idea why ANYONE would be opposed to a casino in Mass!

Rich folks and Yuppies who don't want the riff-raff of the commonwealth stepping foot in their little hamlets?

The same folks who are opposed to re-establishing rail service to the South Coast...

MadAsshatter: Galileo's Daughter: 1proudneocon: It's marketing and advertisement, not bribery.

Imagine what medical advances could be made if the money spent on marketing was diverted to R&D.

Imagine what medical advancements wouldn't have been made if not for private drug companies.

Actually, most significant advances are made in universities, or in private companies that got grants from the government. If you look at the facts (but that's hard work), apart from "cosmetic" medicine, there is very little investment made by drug companies to find actual cures. Their profits go to shareholders, marketing, legal (trying to patent something that was basically given to them with public money), doctor's bribes (or call it marketing again), and then some research.

Anyone else notice that Dr. Gordon Freeman is watching you masturbate?

I don't think he'll give in. Rumors abound that there's a place for him either on the Cabinet or on the Supreme Court if Obama is elected.

Nestea Plunge: C,mon. Who hasn't had their dick sucked by a busty "drug rep".

My ex-wife was a busty drug rep, so I'm getting a kick...

Hey, wait a minute!