Drug companies have big marketing budgets, and a chunk goes directly to doctors. Some of that money is to attend overseas conferences, give talks to other doctors or to serve on advisory boards.

Some doctors are paid to attend overseas conferences. Others are paid to act as “key opinion leaders” for companies – to influence other doctors.

Doctors will tell you that drug company funding doesn’t influence how they prescribe. But the international evidence says otherwise. Doctors who receive company funding are more likely to prescribe a promoted drug, or to choose new drugs over older more cost-effective ones. Even providing cheap food and drink, such as pizza, to doctors can sway how they prescribe.

In recently published research, we hear how drug companies have paid Australian doctors more than A$33 million over three years to attend overseas conferences, for education, and the like. That’s over a time when there were COVID travel restrictions and fewer in-person conferences to attend. That’s not including how much drug companies paid to wine and dine doctors, which is not captured in the latest statistics.

Patients trust doctors to choose the best available treatments to meet their health needs, based on scientific evidence of safety and effectiveness. They don’t expect marketing dollars to influence that choice.

Here’s why Barbara Mintzes from the University of Sydney and Malcolm Forbes from Deakin University are so concerned.

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