Pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline will stop giving doctors a paycheque

GlaxoSmithKline took baby steps this week to change how it works with doctors to market its products, but the move did not occur in a vacuum. It is mired in bribery charges in China and has paid out Billions in fines in the U.S. for among other things, promoting Paxil to children. Today, we're asking more about Big Pharma's relationship with doctors and how it affects patients.

The Justice dept reached an historic 3 billion dollar resolution with GlaxoSmithKline. We are determined to stop practices that jeopardize a patient's health, harm taxpayers and violate the public trust.James Cole, Deputy Attorney General

Experts are welcoming a change announce by Glaxo Smith Kline to stop payments to doctors

One way pharmaceutical reps move product is through a close relationship with the medical profession. Doctors receive free samples of drugs, pharmaceutical companies pay for doctors to attend medical conferences, and doctors and pharmaceutical companies work together in research and development.

It's a relationship some say is a little too comfy for an industry that's self-regulated.
Last year, GlaxoSmithKline was fined 3 billion dollars by the U.S. government for marketing drugs for unapproved uses, and withholding safety data on other drugs. In China, the company is under investigation for allegedly bribing doctors to increase sales.

In response GlaxoSmithKline -- or GSK -- is making significant changes. The company is going to stop giving its representatives bonuses linked to how often doctors prescribe their medications, cease the practice of paying doctors to give talks about products or diseases, and stop paying for doctors to attend conferences.

These changes will have an impact the way Canadian doctors deal with GSK.

Dr. Louis Hugo Francescutti is an emergency room physician and the President of the Canadian Medical Association. He joined us from our Edmonton studio.

Alan Cassels is a drug policy researcher affiliated with the School of Health Information Sciences at the University of Victoria. He's also author of Selling Sickness. He says there are many ways the pharmaceutical industry influences what happens in doctor's offices. We reached Alan Cassels in Victoria, BC.

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This segment was produced by The Current's Sujata Berry, Marc Apollonio and Pacinthe Mattar.

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