The pharmaceutical industry's financial ties with physicians has come under intense scrutiny due to recent revelations.
A study published in JAMA last month revealed that over the past decade, pharmaceutical and medical device companies made a staggering 85,087,744 direct payments to physicians, totaling more than $12 billion. These payments, aimed at marketing purposes, were received by 57.1% of practicing physicians across 39 specialties.
Orthopedic surgeons, neurologists, psychiatrists, and cardiologists were among the specialties that received the most substantial payments, with trauma and pediatric surgeons at the lower end of the spectrum.
The investigation highlighted substantial payments across different medical specialties, with orthopedic surgery leading the tally with $1.36 billion, closely followed by neurology and psychology specialties at $1.32 billion. Conversely, pediatric surgeons and trauma surgeons received lower sums, receiving $2.89 million and $6.96 million respectively
Notable drugs like blood thinners Xarelto and Eliquis, along with the immunosuppressant drug Humira, topped the list of payouts.
Humira, an immunosuppressant prescribed for conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and psoriasis, disbursed $100.17 million to physicians and has amassed over $200 billion in revenue for its manufacturer AbbieVie over the past two decades, with the drug valued at $50,000 annually.
The blood thinner Xarelto, emerged as the top contributor on the payment list, tallying an impressive $176.3 million. This drug, developed by Bayer and marketed by Janssen Pharmaceuticals, stood out as Bayer’s leading product in 2023, yielding around 4.1 billion euros in revenue for the company. Meanwhile, Eliquis, another blood thinner, manufactured by Pfizer and Bristol-Myers Sqibbs, saw payments amounting to $102.62 million.
Pfizer's revenue soared in 2023 with over $6.7 billion generated from Eliquis alone, marking it as the company's second-most profitable product following the Comirnaty COVID-19 vaccine. Bristol-Myers Squibb's sales eclipsed $12 billion in the same period.
Key pharmaceuticals like Invokana, Jardiance, Farxiga, Dupixent, and Botox also made their mark as top products in the industry.
The findings of the study are not at all surprising, however, it should raise awareness to the average American how deeply entrenched the pharmaceutical industry is with physicians.
Often, it's not about what's in the best interest of the patient, its actually about what drugs are marketed the most to physicians or what benefits are given to physicians to promote specific drugs.
Oftentimes these drugs like Blood thinners and Humera has significant side effects. Physicians are brainwashed to prescribe these drugs despite known side effects. In clinical trials, Many of these drugs showed no benefit for the conditions they are supposed to treat.
Major concerns have risen about the potential influence of these payments on prescribing behavior and decision-making processes in healthcare.
ne collaboration in these financial transactions
Medical Devices
On the medical devices front, standouts included the da Vinci Surgical System, with payments totaling $307.5 million, and Mako SmartRobotics, which allocated $50 million to robotic-assisted surgeries for hip and knee replacements.
Mako's specialization in hip and knee replacements has driven significant growth, evident in the approximately $7.12 billion in revenue for da Vinci in 2023, with investors astounded by the expansion of Mako SmartRobotics. Its parent company, Stryker, enjoyed over $20 billion in earnings last year.
Moreover, various cardiology devices like CoreValve Evolut, Sapien 3, and LifeVest—innovations like wearable defibrillators—featured prominently on the list, contributing to their parent companies' multi-billion dollar product portfolios.
In the realm of medical devices, robotic surgery systems like da Vinci Surgical System and Mako SmartRobotics, as well as the heart valve CoreValve Evolut, were the highest earners for physicians.
Shocking Numbers
Dr. Andrew Foy, the primary author of the study, expressed in an email to The Defender, authored by RFK Jr., his belief that the revealed numbers could be deemed as "shocking" by some and he hopes for it to reignite discussions surrounding physician-industry payments.
The analysis specifically encompassed funds allocated for consulting, travel, food, entertainment, education, gifts, grants, and honoraria, while excluding significant external funding sources such as research grants and royalties. Utilizing data from the period of 2013-2022 from the Open Payments database, which was instituted in 2013 under the Physician Payments Sunshine Act as a component of the Affordable Care Act.
The Sunshine Act
The Sunshine Act was crafted by legislators to address mounting concerns within the public sphere regarding the considerable influence wielded by pharmaceutical companies over healthcare professionals. The act mandates medical product manufacturers to disclose any payments or value transfers made to physicians or teaching hospitals to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, with these details being made publicly accessible on the Open Payments website.
The investigation highlighted substantial variations in payments across different medical specialties, with orthopedic surgery leading the tally with $1.36 billion, closely followed by neurology and psychology specialties at $1.32 billion. Conversely, pediatric surgeons and trauma surgeons received markedly lower sums, receiving $2.89 million and $6.96 million respectively.
Furthermore, the distribution of payments among physicians within the same specialization exhibited significant disparities, with a select few receiving sizable sums—sometimes exceeding $1 million—while the median physician received considerably less, typically ranging from zero to $2,339.
Time to Take Control of Your Health
This study highlights what I've believed for years. The medical system is flawed. It's a money making machine. And even physicians who care are completely brainwashed into believing the lies of the pharmaceutical industry.
Its up to the people to stop believing in the system, take control of their own health, eat a proper diet, get off of processed foods, and stress less.
Only then will we see improvement in the overall health of this nation.
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