Pharmaceutical companies are paying millions of dollars to psychiatrists, physicians and other medical professionals each year — including at least 14 providers from Clark County.
These local doctors received more than $190,000 from drug manufacturers in 2009 and the first half of 2010. They joined more than 17,000 doctors nationwide who received a combined total of $257.8 million from pharmaceutical firms paying for educational programs, speaking engagements, consulting and other services.
Taking money from drug companies is a common practice — but it’s drawing scrutiny from people who worry that doctors will prescribe pills made by the businesses that sign their checks, even when another treatment may be superior. Supporters of these payments argue that their medical decisions aren’t influenced by payments, which predominantly fund education programs for other doctors. They say strict precautions are taken to present only scientific data and that the programs’ benefits outweigh potential conflicts.
As pharmaceutical companies start to release information about their payments to doctors ahead of an upcoming federal requirement that this information be made public, doctors will increasingly face questions about the payments they accept.
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