Pharma companies allegedly bride Polish doctors to use specific drugs

Polish pharma companies are allegedly bribing doctors to prescribe certain drugs to patients, the local media reported, May 16.

“There were suspicions, that doctors are receiving hidden forms of bribes from pharma multinationals,” Polish daily Dziennik wrote.

The cooperation of medical specialists with the pharma sector remains  an obscure subject. No one boasts about it, but in some circles brides that come under the guise of doctor “training” are known to be used to transfer money, according to Dziennik.

Funds are also transferred via patient surveys, whose results are often not utilized. The media highlights a case in central Polish Lodz, where a pharma company employee reported that the use of particular “sponsored” medicines may have negative consequences on patients.

Medical students are also reportedly becoming accustomed to prescribing medicines.

“For example, they are being taught that schizophrenia requires permanent medication, when in a third of cases it can be cured through therapy,“ a psychiatrist told Dziennik.

Those who support close relations between doctors and pharma companies argue that the cooperation is necessary.

The system is, however, set to become more transparent. Sector representatives maintain that by 2016, patients will be able to check what companies their doctor cooperates with.