The accuracy of drug information from pharmaceutical sales representatives

M. G. Ziegler, P. Lew and B. C. Singer
Department of Medicine, University of California at San Diego School of Medicine, USA.

OBJECTIVE--To provide quantitative data about the accuracy of the information about drugs presented to physicians by pharmaceutical sales representatives. DESIGN--One hundred six statements about drugs made during 13 presentations by pharmaceutical representatives were analyzed for accuracy. Statements were rated inaccurate if they contradicted the 1993 Physicians' Desk Reference or material quoted or handed out by the sales representative. SETTING--University teaching hospital. RESULTS--Twelve (11%) of 106 statements about drugs were inaccurate. All 12 inaccurate statements were favorable toward the promoted drug, whereas 39 (49%) of 79 accurate statements were favorable (P = .005). None of 15 statements about competitors' drugs were favorable, but all were accurate, significantly P < .001) differing from statements about promoted drugs. In a survey of 27 physicians who attended these presentations, seven (26%) recalled any false statement made by a pharmaceutical representative, and 10 (37%) said information from the representatives influenced the way they prescribed drugs. CONCLUSIONS--Eleven percent of the statements made by pharmaceutical representatives about drugs contradicted information readily available to them. Physicians generally failed to recognize the inaccurate statements.

THIS ARTICLE HAS BEEN CITED BY OTHER ARTICLES

To What Extent Do Educational Interventions Impact Medical Trainees' Attitudes and Behaviors Regarding Industry-Trainee and Industry-Physician Relationships?
Carroll et al.
Pediatrics 2007;120:e1528-e1535.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Experience of VA Psychiatrists With Pharmaceutical Detailing of Antipsychotic Medications
Sernyak and Rosenheck
Psychiatr. Serv. 2007;58:1292-1296.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Pharmacy residents' attitudes toward pharmaceutical industry promotion
Ashker and Burkiewicz
Am J Health Syst Pharm 2007;64:1724-1731.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

General practitioners and pharmaceutical sales representatives: quality improvement research
Spurling and Mansfield
Qual Saf Health Care 2007;16:266-270.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Interactions Between Physicians and Industry: A Guide for Clinicians
Jibson
Focus 2007;5:398-406.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Ask the Expert: Ethics and Professionalism
Jibson
Focus 2007;5:415-416.
FULL TEXT  

Bibliography for Ethics, Professionalism, and End of Life Care
Focus 2007;5:417-419.
FULL TEXT  

Medical Education and the Pharmaceutical Industry: Managing an Uneasy Alliance
Jibson
Acad. Psychiatry 2006;30:36-39.
FULL TEXT  

Medical Students' Exposure to and Attitudes About Drug Company Interactions: A National Survey
Sierles et al.
JAMA 2005;294:1034-1042.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Autonomy, consent, and limiting healthcare costs
Graber and Tansey
J. Med. Ethics 2005;31:424-426.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

The Company We Keep: Why Physicians Should Refuse to See Pharmaceutical Representatives
Brody
Ann Fam Med 2005;3:82-85.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Developing and Implementing a Program of Grand Rounds for Internists That Is Free of Commercial Bias
McMahon et al.
ANN INTERN MED 2003;139:77-78.
FULL TEXT  

Predictors of Broad-Spectrum Antibiotic Prescribing for Acute Respiratory Tract Infections in Adult Primary Care
Steinman et al.
JAMA 2003;289:719-725.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Influences on GPs' decision to prescribe new drugs--the importance of who says what
Prosser et al.
Fam Pract 2003;20:61-68.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Medical Education and Corporate Sponsorship
Capozzi et al.
JBJS 2003;85:168-170.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Philosophy and Psychiatry: A New Curriculum for Child and Adolescent Psychiatry
Wells
Acad. Psychiatry 2002;26:257-261.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Concern About Drug Reps
Tsai
Health Aff (Millwood) 2002;21:296-297.
FULL TEXT  

Physician-Industry Relations. Part 1: Individual Physicians
Coyle and for the Ethics and Human Rights Committee, America
ANN INTERN MED 2002;136:396-402.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Physician-Industry Relations. Part 2: Organizational Issues
Coyle and for the Ethics and Human Rights Committee, America
ANN INTERN MED 2002;136:403-406.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Long-Term Effects of Restricting Residents' Contacts with Drug Representatives
Comerci
AAP Grand Rounds 2002;7:32-32.
FULL TEXT  

Relationships Between Authors of Clinical Practice Guidelines and the Pharmaceutical Industry
Choudhry et al.
JAMA 2002;287:612-617.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Effect of Restricting Contact Between Pharmaceutical Company Representatives and Internal Medicine Residents on Posttraining Attitudes and Behavior
McCormick et al.
JAMA 2001;286:1994-1999.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Gifts to Physicians in the Consumer Marketing Era
Steinman
JAMA 2000;284:2243-2243.
FULL TEXT  

Physicians' Attitudes About Prescribing and Knowledge of the Costs of Common Medications
Reichert et al.
Arch Intern Med 2000;160:2799-2803.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Physicians and the Pharmaceutical Industry: Is a Gift Ever Just a Gift?
Wazana
JAMA 2000;283:373-380.
ABSTRACT | FULL TEXT  

Interactions Between Physicians and the Health Care Technology Industry
Tenery
JAMA 2000;283:391-393.
FULL TEXT  

So much time for so little: Italy's pharmaceutical industry and doctors' information needs
Maestri et al.
BMJ 2000;320:55-55.
FULL TEXT  

Direct to consumer advertising of prescription drugs
Hoffman and Wilkes
BMJ 1999;318:1301-1302.
FULL TEXT  

Drug Samples: Benefit or Bait?
Wolf et al.
JAMA 1998;279:1698-1699.
FULL TEXT  

Pharmaceutical representatives
Shaughnessy and Slawson
BMJ 1996;312:1494-1494.
FULL TEXT