> Drug company representatitives talk to doctors in private in order to try and convince them to prescribe drugs. Everything a drug company does is ultimately

> Drug company representatitives talk to doctors in private in order to try and convince them to prescribe drugs. Everything a drug company does is ultimately about selling more drugs. It's not limited to the drug reps. > they're overstating the positives, downplaying the negatives and ignoring alternatives Again, not at all exclusive to drug reps. This behavior can be traced all the way back to Phase I of the clinical trial. Your position in this thread makes no sense. I stated the drug reps help doctors stay up to date on the latest drugs and treatments, you disagreed and said doctors should "study. continuously." What should they study? Articles sponsored by the drug companies. How can you square that? Further, I'm sure you're aware that only a tiny percentage of doctors actually read the fancy journals and fewer understand the statistics and the details (perhaps those are the docs who sit around on the message boards you mention). For the other 90+%, the drug reps are the conduit who deliver relevant info to doctors. Ate they aggressive? Yes. Sneaky? Sometimes. Ultimately, do they help doctors discover drugs that help their patients? Unless you believe the drugs being approved by the FDA are ineffective, the answer is yes.