Marketing to Doctors: Last Week Tonight with John Oliver (HBO)
Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars marketing drugs to doctors.
We have a few issues with that.
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Watching this on the day Brandon Fraser has won an Oscar for Best Actor is both hilarious and heart-warming.
One down, one to go 🏆❤
Lord knows the dude deserves it!
As soon as he wins another one (and he will) . I want John to devote an entire episode to this treasure of a human being
This came to mind when Brendan Fraser won an Oscar. Oh, the irony!
Whale 2: Whale of a Tail coming to secure the prophecy
I saw an ad that said "If you experience heartburn more than 5 times a week you may have frequent heartburn." Well no shit!
If you are having a hard time thinking, you may have a minor case of decapitation. Ask your doctor if Tylenol is right for you.
It's like when a medication for helping headaches has cancer as one of the side effects... Just... Why? Also severe internal bleeding was another symptom XD
because if the drug is tested one a thousand people, and one of them turns out to have cancer, even if you can be pretty sure the drug didn't cause it, you'll write it in the label so you can't get sued
They also don't include people who take the drug but get side effects but don't make it all the way thru the trials.
Kierann Temlar The commercial should have said "If you experience heartburn more than 5 times a week you should change your diet, moron!" *end of commercial*
I work at a doctors office and yes, the whole office gets free catered lunches EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. from the drug reps.
@@Phoenix-jf7kt The difference is in taxes, I am guessing you don't pay any, because you don't work. But from someone who has worked in Germany, I can tell you that income tax in DE is nearly double what it is in the US.
This happened at a doctor office I used to work at.. and what's more depressing?? It's an office that specializes in addiction treatment. "What's that Susie? Trying to get clean?? Na... let's get ya on something else!!"
@@notnull5878 but thats a big cope. the US is fucked. Is it really worth it? It's great over here, I pay 30-40% taxes/healthcare and the country isnt fucked :)
@@Phoenix-jf7kt Pleeeaasee, we also have pharmaceutical reps in Germany. Sadly, the website displaying how much money doctors earned closed down in January. (correctiv.org/aktuelles/2021/01/14/euros-fuer-aerzte-datenbank-beendet/) Greetings, a German medical student.
Are you still working there?
the more I binge watch John Oliver the more educated and depressed I get.
Then you're only getting half the message. He always gives YOU something you can do about the problem he's addressing in his show. That's not depressing. That's empowering! Depression is related to inactivity, I think.
To see the truth is to see the pain and cause of that pain,...it’s sickening to be aware of this dealings with our health in so an inhuman way, trust should never just be given when money is involved
he gives you anti-anti depressants
Yes, educated and depressed, spot on, mate, spot on.
that's the point. now go see your doctor for some medications you don't need.
Every time I watch this show I feel more educated about the world around me and yet also severely more depressed about it.
good. When we burn it down you will be there with me.
Sadly that's growing up now is, we live in a time now where we are uncovering the bullshit in the world and seeing the darker side of things we never knew hard a ugly side to it, while it is sad, at least we know and evolve from it
I feel the same way
Couldn't say it better myself.
At least you get to laugh for a few minutes
How is it that every time I watch this show I end up screaming in my head: "How can this possibly be legal?"
Or, as the show phrases it; "How is this still a thing?" I agree with that, by the way.
Jipp. The world is insane...
Thanks to the power of lobbiest buying/influencing the legal system, the bounds of ethics and legality can now bend, stretch and twist every which way but loose. Its almost terrifying how much is legal that sound like it should be regulated better or not legal.
That's what the show is about. Exposing the "what the fuckness" we live in.
And the answer almost always is money
I am a public health professor and I use so many of John's videos in my courses. He is brilliant while being hilarious.
Good for you, Janet! You are an EDUCATOR; getting to be a rare breed due to standardized testing.
Awesomeness! You public health people have my respect! Your topics are often unclear because the data tends to be that way on so many issues (e.g., obesity), and teaching that... well, I only know from my grad program in nutrition, but I know with certainty that PubH is too frustrating for me. I imagine data mining is a constant temptation too, like it is now with genetics. But wouldn't it be uplifting to take JO's approach into the field somehow to use as a public health intervention? Now that would be innovative, and I bet it would be more effective than most community education interventions. (Ugh... sore spot of mine, or maybe I just wasn't good at applying them. But what do you do when you roll out a community education program built on focus groups and talking circles with elders and no one shows up for the actual program? That's what drove PubH/Nutr grad students into their advisors' offices crying at least once before getting a masters.)
Found myself discussing his videos regarding the corrections system in my sociology class the other day, lol.
he is perfect for big farma cartel they mast give to them big money to make farma narcotic the best solucion for blind people
It makes sense a lot of the information he presents is accurate. And at the very least it makes you think. Which k would argue engaging television should do.
That high school joke is the best one-liner this show has ever had!
"Spent more on marketing than R&D" I'm surprised more people haven't commented about this, because that is absolutely shocking.
It's not even close its like 19:1
+Ryan Lau Not surprising at all. Big Pharma is very corrupt. Research and Development is one of the easiest things there is, and I'm a high school student. Over 90% of the drugs they make are just a replication of other drugs they've made that have gone generic. Once a drug is generic they can't make as much money obviously, so they remake it similarly with a different name. Big Pharma is basically very corrupt. They don't try to fix health issues, they only cover up symptoms
Allison Scanlan I've read a book called Bad Pharma, makes me absolutely livid...
And that is why Rx cost so damned much!
how shocking, who would have thought healthcare practices like this would happen in a country that promotes a profits driven healthcare system.
Sadly, it is an endless cycle. Doctor's do pay off rising medical school expenses (education) as well as professional working conditions having to require malpractice insurance (legal operating costs) due to a modern culture who likes to profit by suing.
It doesn't matter if you in the U.K. with it's government mandated drug program. Freezing price for prescriptions at $9.95.. The big pharma companies know that education is the biggest key to their drug being used or not. There for they buy doctors opinions who write medical text for school... To the point of downright writing the medical Text like Canada and Oxy-Contin(Like Oxycodone) Where Purdue Pharmaceutical paid doctors to write a medical text book for the medical schools there, explaining who and when to prescribe Oxycontin(An Opioid)... And that is a Pharmaceutical company founded by Physicians. Which actually took the time to maliciously plan and think of how to screw and cheat the system even worse. These companies are the worse and has stalled medical advancement by 30 years.
MAGNUM
Agreed. The current Obamacare system is kinda broke, but any new implemented system takes a while to figure itself out. I have NO problem with a socialized healthcare system. There's a reason most westernized countries have it...
will except they will decide who lives and who dies. There is a reason why the Republicans wont repeal it, its a cross party scam to screw the public through taxes
Seeing Astrazeneca, Pfizer and J&J here like "Aren't those guys making our vaccine?"
Doesn’t mean that the vaccinations aren’t effective
@@Asguard82 debatable....
@@proculusjulius7035 not really, the story on the damage report of zero deaths in California after the massive numbers they had previously show the effectiveness of the vaccination efforts
Those companies hire science experts such as chemists with phDs to create their vaccines lol
@@rachita2869 And they hired them to make Seroquel, then still pushed doctors so prescribe it for unapproved conditions despite known dangerous side effects, he literally talks about it in this video. These companies are not the good guys and can not be trusted then or now.
"His wife's name is Karen" John Oliver was way ahead of his time
Nope. He was right on time. The karen meme died literally moments after it was made lol
@@ericschnautz6603 i feel like it never really died out but became a "recognised" term
@@SuperCraft1999 The eventual decline of meme pages and meme targeted channels on youtube is due to repetitive content like Karen memes that just didn't die and cycle fast enough.
@@ericschnautz6603 Karen is still a commonly used term today
@@tylerrichardson3034 Memes used to be a medium only used by a certain population and now that they're widespread and they're accessible to literally everyone because of their new simplicity, certain memes like the Karen meme got picked up by the mainstream and is still used far after it died.
As a Doctor, I take the samples, read their material and then form my own opinion. If a patient asks me "What Brand of Vitamins is right for me", I answer, "They're all equally ineffective if you keep a good healthy diet, plus, no Big Pharma is paying me to recommend a particular one. Honestly, they're all the same." Problem is, I drive a shitty car and buy my own lunches. And having integrity has given me 0% profit over colleagues who take all these perks. The people doesn't give a fuck. I want to be a thought leader... and a Lexus :(
Respect is worth alot more than a Lexus, especially to a Dr. Thanks fam.
Why do you want to be a Lexus?
whowantsabighug I'm a car trapped in a human's body.
I want a doctor that is a car.
>Honestly, they're all the same. That's point-blank untrue.
I watch this segment every week to remind myself, "don't be a pharma sell out when I finally practice medicine"
me too
Hector Lloyd but the view from here is so glittery.
BigPharma Shill MD Nice nickname...
Hector Lloyd thanks. I just had to run with it. The second I start talking medicine, shill accusations roll on in.
Rooting for you. Be a good doctor.
I come from the future where Brendan Frazer now has one out of those two academy awards. WE'RE ON OUR WAY, BABY!!!
That free meal isn't free. Once the doctor is influenced, his patients will pay for it.
Yeah whoever made that news thing misunderstands the concept of "No such thing as a free lunch" the point is even if it seems free, it isn't. The doctors "pay" by prescribing the medicine they are advertised.
The pharmaceutical industries don't invite you to dinner to persuade you to prescribe their drugs _any_ time. They invite only when there is new evidence, or new change in the guidelines that will favor their product. And if the change in guidelines doesn't favor them? You bet their competitor will invite practitioners to a conference-lunch. Doctors who go to these dinners learn new information that will help them give optimal treatment to their patients. The patients both pay and benefit from the diner parties.
@@GregTom2 talk about a conflict of interest
@@GregTom2 That is some grade A bs right there :)
@Shispirina sorry, force of habit.
I think it's safe to say John Oliver and this show has done more for political awareness in America than any other news show/news network.
This is so true! I have never heard of most of the important things about shitty corruption and whatnot.. Only of Trump. >·
*cough* John Stewart
+nureinbeschissener zweitaccount Thank you. We miss Jon.
+Skye Jackson Yeah it's good to be informed, but what are we going to do about this corruption?
+T ... Truthfully.. I don't know. Only grown ups with some sense can help, I'm only a teen.. So I can't help as much. UmU We gotta inform those who can help! And do all sorts of protests and sssssshhite. :3
The big pharma, high school boy analogy was brilliant. Welcome back Mr. Oliver.
don't you mean "brillant"?
Tom Murse *brillent
Tom Murse "Brillent" comes from a great bit of "fan mail" sent to Oliver in the first season. Someone called him "brillent" and it comes up among his fans as an inside joke/compliment.
TheStockwell Actually, I hadn't heard that one. I just thought it was a great bit. I'll have to look up the "fan mail" thing.
And just like that, we are that much closer to realizing John's vision of Brendan Fraser winning two Academy Awards (only one more to go)
"here's your fentanyl, because a nice lady with a rolling suitcase gave your doctor a pen"
The drug that killed Prince, Tom Petty and Glenn Frey.
"Last Week Tonight with John Oliver" or: "Everything In The USA Is Irreparably Fucked No Seriously with John Oliver"
+THRILLHO Well, everything he talks about is fucked up, because, well, he's not really in the business of talking about things that are working perfectly well. And 'Irreparably' is a strong word, considering how the situation with some of the issues he's talked about have turned around since then.
Dustin Rausch You're right, I didn't mean to be overly negative. The are plenty of good things to talk about, and this show doesn't do as much to highlight the good as it does the bad.
+THRILLHO The point is to put a spotlight on serious problems. This is f---g shocking. You want happy news?
GizmoMaltese Relax bud, we're on the same side here.
+GizmoMaltese it would be great if he can do some continuation to the stories. I know he had done some. but not all.
When they started playing the Advair meeting footage, I thought it was some sort of joke where they started playing something from an old Superbowl or something. It took me about a minute to realize that was seriously what he had said it was.
Same here, thought it was satire at first...
i wasn't sure until i saw the giant advair disc behind them...
It's pretty insane. BUT... that IS a SALES meeting. It's the SALES execs trying to fire up a bunch of people who are motivated by money. It's the same in any industry with any company. They honor and exalt the sales reps who had insane performance, then dangle numbers in front of other reps to make them think that if they just work a little harder, they TO can earn that kind of money. What they don't show you is the compliance portion of the meeting which explains that if you aren't clear with your physicians about the ON LABEL indications for a product that you can be sued, prosecuted and thrown in jail... for a long, long time. fortune.com/2012/09/18/bad-to-the-bone-a-medical-horror-story/ This story doesn't really explain anything. They refer to Norian (a product described in the story) as a "cement", which it isn't. It's a biologic bone sub derived from calcium phosphate or sulfate. They also don't tell you whether it's use directly contributed to a patient dying... or did the patient happen to die during a surgery in which a product happened to be used off label? See the difference? Also, they make off-label use seem HORRIFYING. Let me explain "off-label" use. One example of off label use would be using one company's femoral head with another company's acetabular component to replace the ball-in-socket that is your hip joint. The equivalent in, say, automotive maintenance would be, "Using anything but new, OEM Toyota parts to repair a Toyota is off label. And if the person sustains an accident, you can be sued." To take that analogy a bit further... A person is in a rear end collision resulting in a fatality... the insurance company finds out you went to Jiffy Lube for your last oil change. J.L. used a J.L. branded filter when changing your oil instead of a Toyota filter for your Toyota vehicle. Jiffy Lube is sued for using an off-label oil filter because that vehicle was involved in an accident. The analogy should serve to point out two things. Number one, sometimes what the FDA determines to be "on-label" vs "off-label" is silly - like using a generic oil filter matching the specs for a few dollars less than the OEM filter. Number two - sometimes the off label use doesn't directly contribute to the problem (or have anything to do with it)... in this case, the filter had nothing to do with the accident, but there is a law suit anyway. So... just like anything else, it's more complicated than it seems. There are some REALLY interesting talking points to debate though.
Michael Castelaz Which is exactly why it is disturbing. This is peoples health, it's not a car or a time share.
Anthony Vanella Yes and no. I mean, what you're suggesting is that car salesmen (since they're only motivated by money) would find senile old people and trick them into signing for vehicles to boost their sales. These guys have a job to do... to promote products and grow their business. Just like any sales people. They have a responsibility ethically to promote them for on label indications. Are there bad eggs? Yep. For the most part though, the sales force is a good resource for physicians. But I'm also speaking from a medical DEVICE perspective, not a drug company. I'm more familiar with reps interaction being a very significant part of the process, and if you were a slime ball, you'd be history.
Brendan Fraser joke is half right now LOL
2:13 the best audience reaction I’ve seen on the show. With the series of groans, alongside loud enthusiastic screaming, and hilarious laughter! The usually deadpan face of John Oliver couldn’t help but seem surprised by the reaction... awesome moment.
This is one good thing of Europe... commercials about prescription drugs are not allowed, the doctor decides what to prescribe to you, not the patient after watching a commercial. Only prescription-free self medication ads are allowed.
+Stefano DrSAM To my knowledge doctors in Europe are lobbied by their pharma rep. There are some swanky "medical" congresses paid for by big pharma somewhere on remote tropical islands...
+Stefano DrSAM yeah, but it's not about commercials...pharma lobby is the same here..although I only knew pharma reps with a medical degree..so maybe the regulations are more strict here in that aspect as well (thank god we're not living in a TOTALLY free market economy)
+Stefano DrSAM Yep, that's a good thing :-) But the pharma lobby is here, too. Only not so crazy as in the U.S., because accepting more money than a certain sum, or a gift of a certain value, is a criminal offense for doctors here. The best thing about EU is that there are strict regulations on introduction of new drugs and nutrition supplements (see John Oliver's video on Dr. Oz). Thank God, we only have safe nutrition supplements that actually contain what they say.
+MartaEzis respectfully this is bullshit. in belgium doctors of all kind definitely get pharma salesmen visits
+Tonni Paillard Yep, but they can only give them gifts up to certain value. Btw sending greetings to Belgium, I work for a Belgian bank :-)
A doctor once tried to prescribe me Depicote for chronic headaches. My brother takes that for his bi-polar disorder, its an anti-psychotic drug. Needless to say, i didnt take it and found a different doctor
true its used for bipolar disorders. it had also been used for seizures. not sure how effective it is as its not usually used for this.
Yari Rodriguez yea i heard its been used for seizures too. but i didnt have seizures, just migraines
***** well its the stuff my brother takes for his bi-polar disorder. i didnt see how it would help. im past the migraines anyways so it doesnt matter now
+Undertaker9711 they prescribed to me for bipolar and i found it it leads to to teeth loss forget that im depressed as it is hahaha they just put garbage in these pills
Dominick Marino my brother hasnt had that side effect, the pills seem to help him out
"Doctor like to be called thought leaders the same way that Brendan Fraser likes being called 'two-time Academy Award winner Brendan Fraser.'" He's one closer! Congrats to the man.
"Ask your doctor if they're taking money from pharmaceutical companies" yeah right. They'd probably get all serious make you feel uncomfortable and like you're accusing them which would make all future visits awkward and you'd potential receive lower quality service.
Kyle Ray if that's how they react then the answer is yes and (if it's possible) change doctors!
ProPublica has a database for that sort of thing. I don't remember the exact link, but I know it's on their website.
That's a yes lmao, get a new doctor
The first clip I saw of John was the Miss America segment from the first season of Last Week Tonight, and I knew he was a unique and endearing talent. He never seems truly bitter or patronizing. He is America's Briton and an (inter)national treasure. (queue the assholes.) Long live John Oliver!
Agree, agree, agree.
lol
What, no assholes?
Share the love
Brandon Nobles And, after reading this love-letter, he might go on that date with you after all.
Wait...Google is a doctor?
It is not just pharmaceutical money he has been taking lol
If Google were a guy... he'd be a doctor.
ummmmmmmmmmmmm web md?
So that's where I know his face from! Is it really the same dude?
kamenrideromega1 College Humor has a skit called "If Google Were a Guy". The character Google is played by the same actor as the Doctor in the "Pharmaceutical Money" skit at the end of this program.
I have been waiting tables in fine dining restaurants for over 10 years and I am always appalled at the amount of times drug reps come in to push their drugs. This has made me a lot of money over the years but its sickening to me the amount of money that is spent pushing these drugs. Half the time the doctors don't even care about the material, its 1 in 20 that actually asks thoughtful questions but for the most part its such a scam! And so much money is spent catering to these people. In reality I see the same doctors over and over again because they're the ones going to every single one for a free meal. And I'll tell you that more than 50% choose the steak option! They get more than half of their FOUR COURSE dinner to go. SHAME! SHAME!
To be fair, as long as the doctors aren't actually doing anything for the company after the meal, then more power to the doctors.
@@Pastrybfs No. Not cool. They are enablers to a fckd system. They benefit from a culture of shitty medicine. Just because a Dr doesn't push their drugs(but you know they are) it doesn't make them innocent! Just as guilty! It doesn't change the fact that sick ppl are paying for the meal.
You should teach them a lesson 🦹♂️
@@shwnshts9469 actually if they don’t push a bad drug it doesn’t make them shitty
HEY fyi this doesn't happen in Canada. Canadians, let's not hate on our docs now.
Me, listening to John Oliver recite the name of every drug I’ve ever tried for medical issues: this is the representation we deserve!
Well this is interesting. I was prescribed Geodon (a schizophrenia medication ) for my depression. The side-effects were horrific. I went to open payments. The doctor (who I'm not gonna name because law suits give me hives) was paid $36,320.81 over 80 transactions in 2013 alone.
Genta I appreciate what you're saying, but I'm now on a drug combination that has been working for me for two years now. It's the idea that he gave me a schizophrenia med just to see if it would work and the side-effects that bother me. He is actually a psychiatrist that I've been with for 12 years. I'm also bothered by the idea of how much money he gets paid by Pharma. The descriptions are just like in this story--odd payments for meals, speaking engagements, hotels etc.
Marc Norton Jesus. Good thing you've found something that works for you, though.
Jason Lasica Thanks. But my experience is that these things work for around five years until the meds turn on me and I have to change combination and/or dose. At least I know what to expect and I have other support systems than meds and therapy.
Marc Norton That's good. I only tried medication once for depression and it left me rather wary to try anything again, mostly due to sleeping 2 hours a night for 4 months. Not knocking meds, mind you, but it made me more determined to try alternative things before really going that route (and because I was given them upon my first appointment, which should have been a red flag, but you know, desperate times and all that).
Marc Norton I have major depressive disorder and have tried all kinds of meds. Ended up going into serotonin toxicity and almost dying. They mentioned it in this video but I take Wellbutrin and it's been great for me. It all depends on what chemical you're lacking in your brain that's causing the depression. For me it was dopamine.
John Oliver - Top lad bringing British Humour to America and owning it at the same time.
I wish we had more shows like this in britian!
***** Charlie Brooker's Weekly Wipe is the only example I can think of and he only does 6 episodes a year :(
Ross Wiltshire What do you mean by British Humour? I like this show, but its ridiculously resembles "The Daily Show" with Jon Stewart, where John Oliver worked for a long time.
yk pan Before he acted IN the show, he was a writer for that show. John Oliver is talented, and if you're getting a hint of his comedy in the daily show, even when he was not playing a part, that's why, he also wrote for it.
Yeah, I am well aware that he wrote for the show along with a million of writers. I really like Jon Oliver for both his work in the Daily Show and on his new show, but to say that both of these productions are "British Humor" because he was one British person on the team minimizes the contributions made by the other 14 writers (and isn't sufficient to make it British Humor). If I go to England and am the only yank writing for a comedy show there, does that mean I am bringing "American Humor" to England?
9:57 Well, we're halfway there, folks!
This shit used to shock and enrage me. 5 years later and I'm pretty sure this shit is happening to my parents Thank you for keeping these publicly available!
My mom was a nurse at doctors office and my home was flooded with pens, stress balls, desk toys, paper weights, LED lights, and even batteries with the names of drugs stamped on them. And the pens weren't cheep, they were enamel and ergonomic and some of them lit up.
Holy shit
Hop your ok
don't forget coffee mugs
Anthony Tobar Oh my god the mugs! Do you know how weird it was to walk around drinking Viagra coffee?
+Brian Jensen And don't forget all those wonderful drug "samples". I remember in high school we had a friend whose father was pretty prominent MD in our town and she ALWAYS had shitloads of painkiller samples to share with EVERYONE. Man those were the days lol
That "high school boyfriends" joke was choice. :P hahahahaha
Tim Hucks best one ever!
My dad is a family pediatrician. I can assure you many of my pens are labeled with some medication or company. Even my pop socket has an acronym on it with a picture of a medical bag.
Where have I heard that name before 😂. 7:58
Basically this is like lobbying in congress, but with doctors. Unacceptable in both situations.
........and YET all to real.
Marketing to doctors is the tip of the iceberg in this issue. There have been studies that showed that the same guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of diseases are skewed to include as much of the population as possible, in order to have a bigger public for drugs. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3198464/ This is just one study, but there are others. There is also to say that the problems in the USA are in no way specific to the country: while advertisement of prescription drugs is illegal in Europe, the marketing perfored on doctors is the same.
StarWarsIndiana you should see how big pharma lobbies in Congress and corrupts the FDA.
@@iprobablywontseeyourreply.7193 it does lobby Congress but not corrupt FDA
In Australia it's illegal for pharmaceutical companies to market direct to consumers, and we're all better for it I think.
tony abbott will probably legalise it lol
ablurt_55 he doesn't need anymore ideas, so dont give him any lol
ablurt_55 If it means more money in his pocket, then yeah probably.
ablurt_55 So disappointed that he managed to stay in power during the 'coup' last week.
and nevertheless it takes place
One time I went to a doctor about my knee and he recommended I take an anti-inflammatory. He then dumped 10 sample boxes of Aleve in my lap because he got them for free and didn't want them hanging around.
well i mean... Id be be happy with free aleve. Least he didnt put you on twenty prescriptions you knew nothing about.
I used to lovvvveee the free lunch the drug reps would bring to my dads office 💀
Oop same. I'd love the sandwiches they brought.
"Drug companies are like a high school boyfriends, they are more interested in geting inside you than being effective."
"they are more interested in getting inside you than being effective once they're in there"
The part about high school boyfriends cracked my ribs.
Kojo John L. Lamptey guess I should ask my doctor what pill I need for that.
But first, ask him if he gets paid or not :)
One-time Academy award winner, Brendan Fraser, sounds really nice. I'm just saying.
I was prescribed Seroquel when I was like 15 to go to sleep at night because I had ADHD and they had me taking Adderall during the daytime
I work at family practice clinic and can testify the thing about reps and lunches is %100 true
yet you gladly accept (EAT) the free lunches don't YOU????
Miztli3 pending on what type dr you are they pay you more if you're a dr and you prescribe medication the patient doesn't need cancer is a multi billion dollar a year operation. Don't mess with those fake Jews money, everything is a lie. the diary of Ann Frank read the Magistrate transcripts about the writer of That story that her father neglected to pay he sewed him, the judge made him pay up when he found out the paper and ink it was written on didn't exist when it was written. everything a lie peace out. look it up
I had friend who's parents fell into this plethora of prescriptions, who rather than take care of their teenage son, took their doctors advice and put him on more prescriptions than I can list here. One led to another...and because he took that one he needed to take another to counter act it, and so on.I knew him well, we grew up together. He was an open minded stable kid, who it seemed questioned things or thought too differently for his parents liking. He became a zombie, glazed over...completely and utterly broken as well as detached from his former self. We never got into to trouble, say for making a mess now and again but we were kids after all. Wasn't allowed to see my best friend shortly after the pill regiment started...last time I saw him he just seemed lifeless...devoid of personality. I realized then I had lost my friend to the prescriptions.
Way late for commenting but all I could think when I saw this was, "When you think big Pharma, think drug cartel, and when you think Doctor, instead think drug dealer." and it is worse now then it was 4 years ago. It is truly frightening.
Still one of the most savage lines in the history of the show and you know which one I mean.
I have been in the medical field for over 50 years in the US 40+ years, sad to say all this on the video is true- and much more.. Not only do MD's practice this, so do hospitals especially with equipment supply companies. I tried telling them this was bad practice & dangerous, to no avail. I was told it is the American way. That is the reason that we need Bernie to be president He is well aware of these practices, & will do everything in his power to stop it with our help.
"If you've got the money honey we got your disease" Guns N Roses 'Welcome to the Jungle'
hahaha!
Why did I never catch that i've heard that like 1,000 times I had that year of Madden lol
This is one good thing of Europe... commercials about prescription drugs are not allowed, the doctor decides what to prescribe to you, not the patient after watching a commercial. Only prescription-free self medication ads are allowed.
@@whitmanashby2616 yeah until 2020
Watching this in 2023, the year when Brendan Fraser can now go by "Academy Award Winner Brendan Fraser". 😊
I just realized, that one rep that said a doctor would repeatedly bring out a patient’s chart and ask for her advice... surely that would violate HIPAA, correct? So not only was that doctor stupid and incompetent for asking a pharmaceutical rep for medical advice, when they rarely have any medical training whatsoever, but this doctor was also actively doing something completely illegal! You can’t just go around showing patient information to whoever you want! I hope that doctor was fired, at the very least, because that is absolutely unacceptable!
Only if the doctor gave personal information that revealed the identity of the patient. Ex "hey I have a patient with kidney problems do you have any drug for that?" Is not violating HIPPA but if you said "hey John Smith is having kidney problems do you have any drug for that?" Then that would be violating HIPPA. I worked at a heart monitor company so that is how I learned all this.
@@ryanstone2676 Patient charts normally include the patient's name.
The doctor didn't necessarily share information about the patient. "Mr. ML is a 58 year old man with asthma. He's had [...] " is a perfectly legitimate way to talk about a case.
@@GregTom2 quote: "repeatedly bring out a patient’s chart" so, that's not sharing patient info?
@@LadyWhinesalot That really depends what's on the chart. If it's just a drug history then it's legitimate, same with a spirometry result, as long as you cut out the name. I mean, it's not advisable to ask for advice from a non-professional who works on commission, but I could think of any number of charts that still preserve anonymity.
It's weird to think doctors can get kickbacks in the USA legally. Such behavior in Europe is illegal, highly fined and the doctor would loose his/her medical license. Now and then a case pops up and it always a scandal. It also weird to see soo much money being wasted in advertising instead of R&D. In Europe, companies will use clinical data to promote their therapies to governments (which are the number one buyer) instead of the weird spot ads with disco music. Welcome to the world of private for profit healthcare.
It's not "legal" per se. It's heavily scrutinized. If a rep buys a doctor a beer, he needs to report it, fill out a form describing the "business purpose", the products discussed, the cost of the meal, and an itemized list of what was purchased. He has to declare if the venue was a restaurant or bar, etc. This wasn't the case 7 or 8 years ago, which is why there is such a crazy stigma. You bring up a good point about direct-to-patient advertising, which in my opinion, should be criminal. Patients are the least informed people in the group. For instance, mommy and daddy can't accept that little Timmy is a terror in class and gets bad grades, so he must need Ritalin! They're sure of it because they saw a commercial for it! And if their doctor won't prescribe it, they'll find a doc who will... because after all, they know best! They saw a 30 second advertisement and talked to their neighbor who's kid has a similar issue! I don't like the position it puts physicians in. Lastly, the companies here DO use clinical data to sell the products to physicians. The reps run around armed with this information to influence doctors. Some of the clinical data is generated by doctors who are paid by the company. Some physicians realize this and actually request "peer reviewed, multi center" data as concrete proof of a products effectiveness. But then there's the guy who just likes looking at the reps cleavage.
***** You have no idea how long I've been praying for the same scrutiny medical device/pharma companies and doctors deal with to be applied to government officials and contributors. It's EXACTLY what we need. And the very people who came up with the idea for the medical industry are the ones who need it most.
Comparing marketing and RnD for big pharma is very misleading. Huge pharmaceutical companies operate by buying small biotech companies to acquire drugs close to being approved, or already approved by the FDA. They then proceed to market and produce those drugs. Big pharma does not need to spend lots of money producing their own drugs, it's not part of their business model.
There is a ton of money behind it...therefore it's allowed. Our checks and balances system is completely screwed up these days as there isn't a check and there sure isn't a balance. Big money has bought almost everything sadly and the part that is the most sad is there is people who not just believe it's fine but stick up for it (and a lot of times they aren't even in on the money). It's really weird being a US citizen today.
This is why I love the EU. The world needs to learn from them.
The free lunch thing’s true. Mom always gets something good, and she usually brings it home for me. 🙂
Do not deprive yourself of John Oliver, I have never watched anyone that I have laughed so hard at time after time.
'Ted, why didn't you tell me she's a pharmacutical sales rep?' -Barny, How I Met Your Mother
Ah thanks for the reminder that episode exists.
Prescription drugs are not allowed to be advertised on UK television. I pay £10.00 per month and ALL my prescriptions are covered with this. Thank God for the NHS.
Thanxia in Lincolnshire UK but you still need The US to bail you out WW2 remember that bro
@@Poppin_off_with_panos lmfao wut
@@YTNS26 that how dare some Brit talk shit about the US when they’d be a German vassal if it wasn’t for us
That's all fine till you need some not approved experimental medicine. Or some rare drug they just don't order. But US is kinda more scammy, that's for sure
This is why you know you doctor is looking out for you when they prescribe generic medicine. My psychiatrist has prescribed me a lot of generic meds, even though he has a ton of free decorations from weird drug companies.
Thank you, John, for speaking out against so many important issues, in a factual yet accessible and entertaining way! ♥ This one is an issue especially close to my heart, especially since in Canada it is somehow even legal for doctors to get kickbacks/sponsorships for endorsing certain brands of medication (which I find very alarming).
its bad practice ethically I would be too
seroquel is explicitly not recommended for the elderly. a nursing gave my grandpa (who had dementia) seroquel and a SECOND antipsychotic because he was “agitated” and he never knew where he was or who he was after he began taking it. seroquel is no joke who tf prescribes it for dementia
I'm on seroquel as a 25 year old . It's hellish makes me sleep all day feel like a zombie and causes weight gain rapid. 10 pounds in 1 month with a healthy diet and exercise. Like wtf
Thankfully I haven’t had any bad side effects from it at all but I was prescribed it for it’s actual use. A family member was prescribed it for “sleeplessness” and it knocked this person out and made them feel awful. That’s why you should only be given medications that are approved for your condition!
The VA loves giving out Seroquel. I absolutely hate it. Either I can’t wake up in the morning or I’m a useless zombie. I finally told them I’m allergic to it so they’d stop prescribing it to me.
I should get a job at a doctor's office. Now, remember. I like pepperoni pizza and meatball Parmesan sandwiches
+bakagamer918 Why the fuck don't you have more likes? Now *that's* more of a controversy than Marketing to Doctors.
+Scorpion Because I left my comment a week ago and, according to the daily statistics, very few people are watching this video after the original surge when it first came out.
+averagejoe843 c yyvttth
Meanwhile in my country (Norway) a doctor would go like "I could prescribe it to you, but it's hardly necessary. You should not take antibiotics unless you really need them, or else you will built up resistance to them". I was on an antibiotics for one and a half weeks a few years back, so to me it is weird that there are 70% people of a whole country constantly consuming chems.
oditeomnes A nurse prescribed me opioids for pain during an ear infection. I expressed my concerns about addiction she validated them , and only gave me 8 telling me only to use them if the pain got really bad, only had to take one, thanks to the other medication i was given to treat the infection.
My mom brought home free lunches from work, "free lunch," is desecrating the name of delicious cuisine. I was very disappointed when her work banned drug reps. I'll always remember the pad thai fondly...
Penny on big bang theory also was a sales rep and made a lot of jokes about weird side effects.
Americans used to make sense to me. Then I met John Oliver
so true. now I'm like shit, it's worse than I thought
.
+Rama Mohamed right up until there is a john oliver for russia or something then you will really see fucked
+White Fox true that
true
The actor playing the doctor in the ad at the very end - wasn't he playing Google in 'If Google was a Guy'? He's really talented! Great segment, BTW. :)
yup :)
He was on the Onion's "In the Know" sketches too. Really funny.
His name's Brian Huskey. en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Huskey
on the walking dead a dr too
anythinggoesguy Those were my favorite! I miss the In The Know panelists!
Hahahha John Oliver at his best, well researched, entertaining and informative
I worked in a pain management clinic for about 6 months. It made me so mad when I saw the drug reps come in. They were clearly clueless about what they were trying to sell. I was a bio minor and at that point had been working healthcare for about 3-4 years.
It's just like organized crime.
It is but sanctioned by the Feds
It's organized crime. Every ADHD patient knows that, when he gets older (and is smart enough to think about the past).
With even less regulation... At least the mafia has a commission.
I hit that like button as soon as he said what he did at 2:29 haha. SO GLAD TO HAVE THIS SHOW BACK!!!
WALGREENS literally bullied me into signing up for their discount program claiming that I would get "points" even though thanks to Medicaid I pay nothing! Now I know why!
You're wrong... The *other* question you can ask PoliSci grads is, "Can I get extra mayo on that one please?"
OUCH
Yea cause making food for a living is a dead end job. Just ask Gordon Ramsey who’s worth 190million$.
@@nmarrs8539 He studied to be a chef mate, he didnt work at McDonalds
Who are you to judge? You're getting EXTRA Mayo on something...in PUBLIC! BY REQUEST!
@@shwnshts9469 when I try to give people extra mayo I just get kicked out of the mcdonalds
Scrubs is one of the best American Sitcoms / Dramas. I especially love how there was no laugh track.
This is how broken the American medical system is.
+Robin Sattahip actually pharma greedy as fuck is phenomenon happening everywhere. Novartis (or Roche) are not from US.
+TheZooropaBaby Doesn't mean they can't exploit the US system
+TheZooropaBaby Really? Have you ever bought medication in another country? I live in Asia, Asian and Indian made generic drugs sell for a fraction of what they cost in the USA. Most generic antibiotics cost about $3 and doctors give them to you at their office instead of giving you a piece of paper to take to a pharmacy.
Im not saying that there equally greedy. they are greedy but gov'ts are regulating it so it doesn't appear like they are
The Government blocks the importation of drugs, both new and generic into America under the guise of protecting health. All drugs available in developed places like the EU, Canada, Australia etc. should be automatically allowed. This would create competition, especially with generic drugs.
whatched it just after a class on pharmacoeconomics, and loved it!(just glad lows are far more strict in EU than in US, despide the problem exists here too)
Pharma rep are big in the EU to
I’m here trying to cope with having to wait until February for the next episode after the Push Notification tease.
I just looked up all the doctors I've ever had that prescribed me medication. Happy to say none of them are even in the database.
Mine weren't either, but I've definitely seen them in one of my doctor's offices.
I cannot understand how and why Americans pay 100x more for the same Meds. we have in Australia.
Because Medicare, (NHS etc) Drug costs are high across the board but govt usually pays majority of cost and subsidise to end users. Although I do believe America is marked up higher, probably to wrought insurance companies but poor Americans end up losing everything
I mean, it's not like we really have another option
You should thank America for paying for the world's drug research! Other countries' governments basically tell the companies what they are allowed to charge while the U.S. provides the profits.
@@tifforo1 Why should she thank big pharma when she's basically paying them either with taxes or directly LOL It's like saying you should be thankful to your abusive father since he brings you food.
tifforo1 And thanks to that, people have to choose between insulin and heart medication!
Brendan Frazier is now a 1 time Academy Award winner
The eating lobster while w patient 😂
That teenage boy analogy was just brilliant.
*Political Science Major currently in college* DAMN
just graduated with a degree in political science. Maybe the double major with public administration was what saved me xD
My cousin starts college next month and he's already declared Poli sci, so I immediately thought of him.
My friend switched from pol-sci to nursing after 3 years in college and realizing there were no jobs out there when looking for pol-sci internships. She’s a great nurse now :)
Yeah so can anyone tell me if I major in political science how likely is it for me to get a job related to law that pays more than 200k annually and how likely is it for me to get into law school after graduating
@@user-yv3md8ye9k If you are going into law school with a poli Sci degree you should be fine (make sure you talk with your counselors though). Also I hope you realize you do NOT need a poli Sci degree to be admitted in Law School (many are actually looking to diversify applicants so poli Sci majors are usually more competitive [not a bad thing]). Also money aspect for law is complicated but it is a career filled with extreme pay gaps. If you are a very good lawyer/ successful corporate/ IP lawyer you can make upwards of millions of dollars. But making millions only applies to select fews. The average lawyer is making max 100k (but this also largely depends on area of specialization). I was also thinking Poli Sci then Law, but now I am more interested in Economics. -Current Uni Freshman
I worked at a doctors office a few years ago, just looked up the doc. In 2017 he made $74,306.36 just from pharma reps. Which is over 46,000 more than my salary for that whole year.
2:25 LOL all the women cheering that. The cheer of someone who's had to say "why are you poking my urethra" one too many times...
Well i only use the free samples to give it to my patients who have no money to complete the treatment. But i would never agree to be a spoke person (or "though leader") for a pharmaceutical company
I always love it when my doctor gives me free samples. Every little gesture helps, especially if the treatment is long and expensive.
Sulfen well once upon a time a representative of a pharmaceutical company gave me so many samples that for one month I could give the hole treatment course for my patients with hyperactive bladder for free . A lot of poor patients benefited from that. That is why I always welcome free samples
+shadowmax889 It's still so scary to think of patients not being able to pay for their treatment. My country sucks, but at least we have health care for everyone. The US always seems like such a third world country in comparison.
TheYasmineFlower i am not from US but in my country the problem at this moment is not about the price of the treatments but the availability in pharmacies
shadowmax889 No lie the free samples of my $1000+ medication saved my ass while I was waiting to hear back about the prescription assistance program from the manufacturer.
Oddly, watching John Oliver can bring joy (and not just anger), because suddenly you feel such gratitude towards living in a European country.
+JustAVoice well, look at this way: our country may have problems,likely more than yours,but we know about them, many of try to fix them(most don,t but oh well) because we have condescending bastards like this guy^ . Tell me, if I may be so presumptuous, what problems plague your country, how are you informed of them,and how to you take action to solve them?
Miskir Weldezion Hey Miskir, I live in Germany. I don't think this discussion is important, because I don't think it makes a difference to the discussion or to you. But I will still give you a short answer: I make sure I keep myself aware about the problems here and do my personal best to contribute by actions, too. :-)
JustAVoice good luck with that, ice cream cone floating in the sky! Edit: Hey, unrelated question ; why do so many people from non-English speaking countries(like yours) speak English.
Miskir Weldezion There is a historic answer to this which can be googled. I think multilingualism is beneficial for world peace in a way. :)
JustAVoice yeah, yeah, I know all that. I just find odd that like a third of the students at my high school only speak Spanish, I can barely understand a word my Vietnamese math teacher says, but almost every Euro/ Korean/ Indian/ south African/ Russian person I've met speaks English like they grew up in a town called Madison in texas watching baseball games and hunting animals that are endangered with their alcoholic fathers in a shitty Camero. I dunno, never really understood why they needed to speak English that well.
5:56 LMAO I’m in high school and am thinking about doing PoliSci in college.
My suggestion: think about ANYTHING else.
Hello
When I worked as a nurse in hospitals, we'd love having an inservice with a pharmacetical rep, because we knew we'd get a really nice afternoon tea.
I'm so glad I get to watch John Oliver at 60 frames per second. I don't understand how I ever could watch him at a lower framerate without the interweaving distortion.
"Would you like to be a thot leader??" asks the rep. "Hell yeah!" says i.
I believe the correct term is "pimp"
shaurik Deshpande fair... but hey! either way, i get to have an 'interesting' night
@Sharon Jensen ... I'll save you the whoosh. Thot is not the same as thought. A THOT leader is literally a pimp.
@Sharon Jensen Yeah THOT is just "That Hoe Over There" So someone who leads hoes is a pimp. I 'think' that's what OP and the first response meant but, internet so it could just be terrible spelling
:)
Well, Brendan Fraser did end up winning an oscar!
Hoooold up.... This video was almost 6 years ago and I was just prescribed Seroquel for extreme depressive disorder.... >.>
Those 4 cents "food and beverage" was a mint
Stick of gum
Half a flinstones vitamin
So this explains why I can't find medication that helps my mental illness.... Example: go to a psychiatric hospital - have the doctor tell me there's only two options for an anti-psychotic - both of which I tried but I could not get him to let me try something else... A simple google search of atypical anti-psychotics will tell you there's way more than 2 options. This was last year.
+St King actually sometimes it could be your metabolism or biology. I know a few people who can't take drugs based on that.
+St King It's often limited due to side effects. For example, Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic, but it has a lot of dangerous side effects including various blood disorders. As such, even though it's on the list of meds, it's rarely prescribed. Though I think 2 is a bit of a stretch. Usually there are about 3-4 that are commonly interchangeable.
+St King Mental illness medication is probably the biggest scam in all of medicine. It is all about keeping you mentally ill and dependent on their drugs. Look into natural treatments if you want to be cured because big pharma will keep you an addicted customer. I don't know what mental illness you have but people have been cured of schizophrenia from diet changes and high dose vitamin B3 and if someone can be cured of schizophrenia, I am sure they also can be of other mental disorders. Look into Abram Hoffer's work on this.
+Seal Girl mock all u want. nutrition is key in helping mentally ill people. i have to take a dozen supplements daily but it helps a lot. all i got from doctors was a bunch of crap they push on everyone and none of it helped.
+Aka Dua No it doesn't. Just because you had a bad time with some doctors or medication doesn't mean all this is bullshit. Medication has helped me, if it wasn't for that I would've starved to death 7 years ago because I was to sick to eat or function. It works for a lot of people, maybe more for some than others. But vitamins don't do shit when it comes to treating a complex disorder.
"Drug companies are a bit like Old School boyfriend, they're much more concerned with getting inside you than to be effective once in there" That's gold.
I work in Veterinary, and I can honestly say, the only reason we let drug reps through our door is because they come bearing free food and swag. The amount of Heartgard sunglasses and Bordetella bandanas I have is insane. Once, a drug rep came w/ nothing, and the head veterinarian told her to order some food, or she would have to leave.