“A New Dystopic Era”: Dr. Fugh-Berman on Pharmaceutical Companies Selling Direct
Posted in News | Tagged drug marketing, pharmedout, program director, Publications
Dr. Fugh-Berman and her colleague at PharmedOut, Judy Butler, have just published an opinion piece in STAT news on an alarming new pharmaceutical practice: selling prescription drugs directly to consumers.
According to their research, a number of drug companies, including Pfizer, Lilly, and Amgend have set up online portals that allow consumers to purchase anything from migraine to weight loss drugs directly from the source, no doctor’s visit required. This can result in patients purchasing mediocre, or even dangerous, prescriptions without expert guidance:
Recent studies show that Paxlovid doesn’t relieve symptoms more than placebo, and one in five people experience rebound, becoming infectious again (with or without symptoms) after finishing treatment. And Paxlovid can dangerously increase levels of other drugs a patient is taking. Whether or not someone with Covid should take this drug ought to involve a thoughtful discussion with a primary care physician who knows the patient, not some white-coated moonlighter who has never examined — or even seen — that patient before.
– Dr. Fugh-Berman and Judy Butler