How to be a drug rep
How many of you have watched TV in the past month? Chances are if you sat in front of a television for more than 30 minutes, you’ve come across a commercial hocking any number of prescription medications. For example, Pfizer states that it can give great erections, Merck will cure your depression, and everybody has a treatment for restless leg syndrome.
These commercials do a lot of damage to physicians. Patients show up all the time feigning symptoms to obtain the latest medication. Probably the most disgusting is the commercial for Abilify, an antipsychotic medication used to treat schizophrenia. From what I can gather by watching the commercials, the manufacturer is telling people that Abilify can treat memory loss. What’s worse is that Abilify cost nearly $300 a month. I don’t know a single schizophrenic who has the income necessary to pay for this drug.
But if you’re ready to sell your soul and start hocking the goods to doctors directly, consider becoming a drug rep. These company reps make a ton of money simply by distributing free samples to physicians and then obtaining their signatures. From the intelligence I’ve gathered by talking to reps, a talented employee can make more than a pediatrician. They get loads of free gifts from their bosses, and can sometimes go on trips at the company’s expense. But before you start asking where to sign up, realize that there are several necessary qualifications that must be possessed before joining.
First, you must be a gorgeous female under the age of 30 who is blonde, willing to wear short skirts to show off perfect legs, and be able to convince male physicians that you are considering going out with them if they continue to take your free samples. The best reps can flirt as if they are at a nightclub and trying to pick up strangers for the evening. They will provide a private two-hour lunch to the doctor that causes him to run very late in seeing his afternoon patients.
Notice, I said nothing about education or medical experience. Most drug reps graduate from college with a liberal arts degree and find themselves at the age of 22 with no redeemable skills in the business world. Eventually, they turn to the pharmaceutical industry and take a six-week course on hocking Lipitor. They learn to say the right buzzwords like “randomized controlled trial,” “statistically significant,” and “This medication is on most insurance companies’ formularies.” If you become a drug rap, realize that you’re a salesman first and foremost. Any knowledge you have about pharmacology comes secondary to your ability to communicate with others. Think of the used car salesman. How many of them even know what a catalytic converter is, much less where to find it on the particular model that they’re selling?
The absolute worst drug reps are the ones who try to make everything professional, or worse still, become defensive when their profession is attacked. Earlier this week, I saw drug rap hanging around the patient waiting area. Spotting a drug rep is easy: they are always wearing business suits or dresses, and are carrying a significant load in a luggage cart. To any casual observer, they look as if they are about to board an airplane. But I know better. They are here to sell.
I saw this person, approached him, and said, “Are you a drug rep?” To which he replied, “I’m not just any rep. I’m the best! Would you like some information on…”
I cut him off and said, “No, I just want a free pen. I will also take free textbooks, medical equipment, or trips to Colorado.” At this point he became irate and said, “Do you know anyone who is gotten a free trip to Colorado?”
“No.”
“So you’re just saying that. My company has never given me or anyone else that I know a free trip.”
Cool it, mister. I’ll gladly show you the door if you’re going to get annoying. We’ve got a dozen drug reps visiting this office every afternoon. There is certainly no shortage of people jumping all over themselves to get a two-minute opportunity to talk to the physician. And you can ditch the speech about how your company’s randomized controlled trial of pitting your drug against your major competitor is statistically significant to a p value of .07. I don’t want to hear it. Neither does my attending. So give me the free stuff and be on your way.
And if you really want to piss off a physician, just try teaching him pharmacology. If you pimp me, I’ll school your ass very quickly on how the body works. You’re here is a marketing liaison, not as a medical school professor.
So remember: breasts, thighs, and a nice smile deliver medications. Leave the attitude and the book learning to me.
Edit: a reader alerted me to this article from the Public Library of Science about drug reps and their tactics.
Chris Aycock said,
April 20, 2008 at 6:43 pm
We get vendors who constantly try to sell us stuff, from database software, to data feeds, to analytical models. We once asked a salesman what his data warehouse’s throughput was. He replied, “faster than what you’re getting.” We didn’t ask him any questions after that.
anonymous said,
April 21, 2008 at 5:00 am
I was dead broke after I had one of my kids when my husband got laid off right after the birth. Due to my breasts being unlike anyone else’s on the planet (because every other female can breast feed if she tries hard enough– according to a dickheaded hospital pediatrician) I needed formula. For two months my doctor helped me score soy formula that I couldn’t otherwise get. My doctor was happy to help me and said that the rep was actually flattered that he paid attention to him when he went in. . . it was really just for my unusual request though.
Anon said,
April 21, 2008 at 11:43 am
A few tricks of the trade are listed here:
PLoS Medicine: How Drug Reps Make Friends and Influence Doctors
http://casesblog.blogspot.com/2007/11/plos-medicine-how-drug-reps-make.html
Chang said,
April 21, 2008 at 6:55 pm
Wow. How completely arrogant and sexist.
I’m not a drug rep, nor am I a physician, but I do have a MUCH better grasp on modern medicine, and our capitalist society than you.
Guess what. Drug reps are effective, and because of that, have become necessary tools of the pharmaceutical firms that develop the drugs that physicians use to treat patients. Big Pharma should be allowed to profit from its efforts, just like any other industry. Just like any physician. This is capitalism.
I agree that it’s a damned shame that drugs cost as much as they do, and many of the practices of Big Pharma are abhorrent, but such is the nature of capitalism. But to consider that flaw applicable strictly to Big Pharma is laughable. We can look to Enron, the sub-prime lending, ambulance chasing lawyers, and even physicians themselves to see corruption in the name of profit. You would not believe how many rheumatologists prescribe infusion products for RA over injections simply because of the profit inherent in infusion. I could give you many other cases where patient comes second to profit.
That you find what a drug rep does for a living to be abhorrent is your opinion, and you are entitled to it. That you translate that opinion into obnoxious self-righteousness and deprecatory behavior:
“I cut him off and said, “No, I just want a free pen. I will also take free textbooks, medical equipment, or trips to Colorado.””
makes me wonder about your bedside manner and your future as a patient-facing physician. I’m sure you’d be a fine clinician. But would people want to deal with your lofty self-sentiment?
And if we’re honest, there are many drug reps who would flat out school you in the depth of the knowledge of their disease, 2nd year. Even in their short skirts and push-up bras.
Unomiked said,
April 21, 2008 at 8:51 pm
Chang rocks. He said everything that needs to be said about every physician that acts like they are better then a drug rep. We all want to make money to support families and achieve goals. Many drug reps are dolts and obnoxious. I agree with the physician in that regard. However, I am amazed everyday how so many intelligent physicians act like they are the keepers of secret knowledge that no one else has. If I had a physician like this one, I would leave. He obviously treats his patients with the same contempt.
Dr. Dredd said,
April 21, 2008 at 9:02 pm
Unomiked, I stand in awe of your psychic abilities. From one blog post about an encounter with a drug rep, you’ve obviously been able to predict with 100% accuracy how this physician deals with actual patients! Absolutely stunning!
Seriously, though, the arrogance of your post astounds me. I’m amazed by how many people act like they are the keepers of secret knowledge of how the physician mind works.
Confucius said,
April 21, 2008 at 11:59 pm
Physicians _are_ better than drug reps, end of story. One treats suffering and disease, the other dispenses pill bottles and knicknacks. End of story.
safa said,
April 22, 2008 at 4:10 am
well, I think that not all the doctors see it this way.I’m sure some of them die to have a rep dropping in or visiting thier clinic.From how I see it..I think doctors are the ones to have responsibilty to stop such a thing..
They-doctors-have to be well educated ,confident and play imposiable to get.If they adopted this attitude the drug reps will vanish and give up..
note:I’m a pharmacy student and sfter reading this article i don’t intend to be in the drug sales when i graduate..
Neumed said,
April 23, 2008 at 4:45 pm
I thought about becoming a drug rep, but I just don’t have the legs for it.
Iowa Doc said,
May 17, 2008 at 5:43 pm
It’s become exactly like the lobbying industry. Everyone has deluded themselves to believe that these relationships are necessary and inevitable…but they aren’t.
The reps who work for drug companies are like most corporate employees: Good people looking to make a living. Getting mad at them is like getting mad at a shark for attacking a swimmer; they are just doing what they do. I don’t resent the slinky blonde who is here to stroke my ego; but I don’t let her come in either. And I don’t want to read any of her propoganda either.
The people who have really let us down are the doctors and politicians who have convinced themselves that these relationships don’t affect their judgment. Millions, perhaps even billions of public dollars are being wasted. Poured into the pockets of those who are already so wealthy they don’t know what to do with all of their money. How much longer are we going to sleepwalk through this travesty. When will we wake up?
halfmd said,
May 24, 2008 at 2:23 pm
Found this link today, the Diary of a New Drug Rep:
http://people.tribe.net/7962de5c-c3ca-457c-95f8-e14426f5e1af/blog/d65716db-53af-4f8e-90a9-90f84d0b58f6
Bob said,
May 29, 2008 at 10:58 pm
Not to be an asshole smarty-pants, but a p value of .07 is actually NOT statistically significant. A p value of .05 or less is required to be considered statistically significant. I know that you don’t care, and I know that’s not what the post was about, but I couldn’t help but interject like the smartass that I am.
halfmd said,
May 29, 2008 at 11:53 pm
Not quite. Statistical significance is however you define it. If you state that you’re comfortable claiming significance with any p value less than 0.09, for example, then any test meeting that cut-off is considered significant. Medicine has traditionally set the limit to 0.05, but this value is only based in history and has no real scientific basis.
Other misconceptions are the phrases “approaching significance” or “barely significant.” Either results are significant, or they aren’t. There is no gray zone.
MC said,
July 23, 2008 at 8:42 pm
Read few your posts, including this one, and I must say you come off as compete @$$. I wonder how you function in society by being rude and obnoxious.
Othniel said,
October 18, 2008 at 11:35 am
Pretty clothes, freebies, drugs for my patients without insurance… since I have had hardcore pharma instruction and live without tv, the drug names are meaningless and new, so it is fun for me to learn the trade names to put with the generic names I know so well.
If I wasn’t hammered in school about the dangers of the companies, it would be easy for me to pick some of their drugs up as my new favorites. The thing that has stuck in my head the most is “why do they spend millions on advertising to doctors if it doesn’t work? Aren’t they the greediest co’s in the world?”
Because of my instruction, I just smile, nod, take the Xyzal and prescribe the Cubbies brand cetirizine.
Pharmasupporter said,
April 9, 2009 at 3:04 pm
To the poster who claims doctors treat suffering and disease and drugs reps dispense junk. If it were not for these pharma. co’s..these physicians would still be treating suffering and disease by such tried and tested tactics as drilling holes in their heads and ice baths. The anger of people towards pharma. co’s is beyond me. This is the industry that has cured and prevented more diseases and suffering than all the doctors in the world combined. Just keep this in mind the next time you go to get your “free” antibiotic sample. Or maybe doc will just do some voodoo if he doesn’t have any meds?
How to Get Six Pack Fast said,
April 15, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Hey, cool tips. Perhaps I’ll buy a bottle of beer to that man from that chat who told me to visit your site
Pharma Police said,
June 16, 2009 at 1:53 am
Typical hater that cannot or will never be able to become a drug rep… Get in line with the rest of the world tough guy.
Oh, by the way… Not under 30 or female and still dominating the industry.