Newsletter #74 November/December 2002
Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor:
Diane de Lara’s article ‘Exhibitionist Behavior’ [September/October] was a delight to read. I have attended many medical and other meetings and found [the American Society of Clinical Oncology] to be the absolute worst offender. The gifts and giveaways are huge, and everyone wants them.
Pharmaceutical company representatives offer another tote bag to an attendee at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
When de Lara asks, ”Are the high prices we pay for drugs subsidizing this pageantry?” the answer is a resounding yes. Add to that the money spent for direct-to-consumer advertising and their support of advocacy and patient groups for all diseases all over the world, and you find an awful lot of excess profit.
Meanwhile, Congress continues to discuss subsidies so elder Americans can afford their pharmaceutical medications. Hey, lowering prices might work.
Ann Fonfa, Founder
The Annie Appleseed Project
New York, NY
November 2002
Ann’s NOTE: March 2020, some time ago, the FDA halted the giveaways of expensive items. Now most exhibit spaces offer candy, sodas, ices, or ice cream. I have jokingly predicted an epidemic of tooth decay among oncologists.
Dear Editor:
Diane de Lara’s article ‘Exhibitionist Behavior’ [September/October] was a delight to read. I have attended many medical and other meetings and found [the American Society of Clinical Oncology] to be the absolute worst offender. The gifts and giveaways are huge, and everyone wants them.
Pharmaceutical company representatives offer another tote bag to an attendee at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.
When de Lara asks, ”Are the high prices we pay for drugs subsidizing this pageantry?” the answer is a resounding yes. Add to that the money spent for direct-to-consumer advertising and their support of advocacy and patient groups for all diseases all over the world, and you find an awful lot of excess profit.
Meanwhile, Congress continues to discuss subsidies so elder Americans can afford their pharmaceutical medications. Hey, lowering prices might work.
Ann Fonfa, Founder
The Annie Appleseed Project
New York, NY
November 2002
Ann’s NOTE: March 2020, some time ago, the FDA halted the giveaways of expensive items. Now most exhibit spaces offer candy, sodas, ices, or ice cream. I have jokingly predicted an epidemic of tooth decay among oncologists.