Drug pushers

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There is no more potent salesman than the local GP or the health professional, the big companies know this. And it seems they'll stop at nothing to get those doctors onside, including all expenses paid holidays.

New figures have revealed the lengths to which pharmaceutical companies will go to have doctors and nurses recommend their drugs to patients.

The latest Medicines Australia report on expenditure by pharmaceutical companies disclosed that between January and July, 39 companies splurged almost $32 million on 16,020 dinners and events. $15.6 million of that was spent on food, drink and hotel accommodation.

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Chef El Hilmagi has overseen many of these events. He says they're lavish and expensive, but worth every cent.

"A meal like this is designed to have influence . It is designed to remind a doctor that this pharmaceutical company looked after them and they should return the favour."

"From my understanding, its about a 25 to 1 return, if you spend $400 on a meal with matched wines, like this you're anticipating $10 000 in pill sales."

The Code of Conduct of Medicines Australia, which represents drug companies, actually bans them from giving gifts, entertainment and lavish hospitality to doctors. But that doesn't stop the practice. All the drug companies need to do is vouch that the education component is greater than the hospitality component.

Ken Harvey, public health physician and medical lecturer at Latrobe University, is critical of the practice.

"The information is by definition distorted. They're only interested in promoting the latest and most expensive drug, that's not always the drug of choice. They virtually never promote cost effective generic drugs. They never promote non-drug alternatives which again which can be very important."

"That's influencing people - that's not education."

If caught, companies pay big time. Drug manufacturer Pfizer was ordered by United States authorities to pay a $3 billion fine for illegal promotions of prescription drugs, persuading doctors to prescribe its drugs for unregistered uses.

Ninety-six percent of doctors across the country received offers of food, 94% were offered items for the office, 51% of those surveyed reported offers of gifts for personal use, and most were offered travel support to attend conferences.

There are just over 70,000 medical practitioners in Australia - almost 7 times that amount have been wined and dined at functions run by the big companies.

Not surprisingly, critics of the practice say it's very difficult to imagine how a doctor can receive this kind of a gift and give impartial advice.