Dermatologists voiced several complaints about pharmaceutical representatives, especially those who show up on a busy day to hype a "third-generation, me-too drug."
Many physicians require that reps schedule an appointment for routine business. One requests "payment" for the visit in the form of a donation to a charity. Another has salespeople wait in a "rep room" until the physicians have a break in their schedules.
Dr. Peter J. Muelleman of Independence, Mo., will speak to reps who show up unannounced, but only for a "socially appropriate amount of timenot 10 minutes."
"They don't have to buy lunch," he explained. "The staff knows which ones I want to see."
Virtually all of the dermatologists said they appreciate pharmaceutical samples, which enable them to treat Medicare patients who would do best on an expensive drug, to see if a patient reacts to a drug before prescribing it, and to conduct split-face studies to see which of two agents is best for an individual patient.