Opinion leaders or sales reps?

The practice of drug companies paying doctors to talk about their products comes under further scrutiny in this week's BMJ.

In an interview with Ray Moynihan, Kimberley Elliot who was a drug company sales representative for almost two decades in the United States says, "key opinion leaders were salespeople for us, and we would routinely measure the return on our investment, by tracking prescriptions before and after their presentations." In the interview she describes how the doctors were tutored to stay 'on message' during their presentations by extolling the benefits of the product that was being promoted, not talking about the 'failures' and not speaking highly about any other products.

In a separate interview with the BMJ, the medical director at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry, Richard Tiner, agreed key opinion leaders play an important role for drug companies. "Companies will employ consultants to help advise on marketing strategies . . . and present and speak at conferences," he said.

The article also highlights the fees that doctors can earn for speaking at events and the elaborate machinery that companies can use to identify influential doctors and monitor their impact on sales.