Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2007 Apr;4(4):e150.
doi: 10.1371/journal.pmed.0040150.

Following the script: how drug reps make friends and influence doctors

Adriane Fugh-Berman  1 , Shahram Ahari
Affiliations
Review

Following the script: how drug reps make friends and influence doctors

Adriane Fugh-Berman et al. PLoS Med. 2007 Apr.

Abstract

This article, which grew out of conversations between a former drug rep and a physician who researches pharmaceutical marketing, reveals the strategies used by reps to manipulate physician prescribing.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Competing Interests: Shahram Ahari is a former pharmaceutical sales representative for Eli Lilly, and the primary findings of this paper summarize points he made in testimony as a paid expert witness on the defendant's side in litigation against a New Hampshire law prohibiting the sale of prescription data. Adriane Fugh-Berman has accepted payment as an expert witness on the plaintiff's side in litigation regarding menopausal hormone therapy.

Figures

None
(Photo: “Bitter Pills?” by net_efekt, at http://www.flickr.com/photos/wheatfields/316337784/. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution License.)
None
(Photo: “Pills” by Rodrigo Senna, at http://www.flickr.com/photos/negativz/74267002/. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution License.)
None
(Photo: “Pills” by Sugar Pond, at http://www.flickr.com/photos/sugarpond/236235191/. Published under the Creative Commons Attribution License.)
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Elliott C. The drug pushers. Atlantic Monthly. 2006. pp. 2–13. (April)
    1. Rosenthal MB, Berndt ER, Donohue JM, Epstein AM, Frank RG. Demand effects of recent changes in prescription drug promotion. Henry J Kaiser Family Foundation. 2003. Available: http://www.kff.org/rxdrugs/6085-index.cfm. Accessed 23 March 2007.
    1. Niles S. Sales force effectiveness (the third in a series of articles that examine problems and solutions of detailing to physicians) Med Ad News. 2005;24:1.
    1. Reidy J. Hard sell: The evolution of a Viagra salesman. Kansas City: Andrews McMeel Publishing; 2005. p. 210.
    1. Steinbrook R. For sale: Physicians' prescribing data. New Engl J Med. 2006;354:2745–2747. - PubMed

Publication types