3 ms·

If "In exchange for bribes and kickbacks..." is "a typical way prescription drugs are pushed" then I'm happy that "Ortiz jumped at the chance to look good" and

If "In exchange for bribes and kickbacks..." is "a typical way prescription drugs are pushed" then I'm happy that "Ortiz jumped at the chance to look good" and hope others take her lead. Just because something is common doesn't mean it's legal.

trhway 10y ago
(IANAL) it is my understanding that kickbacks from drug companies to doctors are pretty legal in US - or there is a very technical line between legal and illegal kickback in pharma/doctor relationship that regular people like us don't recognize it. And don't get me wrong, i'm not against sending a bunch of pharma execs to a country club - i just think that so few of them are sent there that situation looks more like politically motivated selective enforcement of the law than full fledged justice.
- danso 10y ago
  It is OK for doctors to have financial relationships with companies, for example, to be a paid speaker or consultant. But I don't think those are "kickbacks", and there's a distinction between those relationships and what the Justice Dept. is prosecuting here https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/ https://projects.propublica.org/docdollars/
  - mirimir 10y ago
    It's a very subtle one, IMHO.
    - 3131s 10y ago
      So subtle you might call it a "loophole".
      - mirimir 10y ago
        :) The Truth About the Drug Companies by Marcia Angell (Random House, 2004) http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM200410073511522 http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJM200410073511522
  - cma 10y ago
    You don't think they often give out speaker roles as kickbacks? Speaking fees are often just bribes. Malcolm Gladwell isn't a doctor, but here's how it works in some cases (pushing amphetamines and tobacco): http://shameproject.com/profile/malcolm-gladwell-2/ http://shameproject.com/profile/malcolm-gladwell-2/