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Australia. This is the rule in most developed world economies, although I have to admit complete ignorance of the US (... the largest developed world economy)

I was invited once, by another doctor, to speak (paid gig, curtin closer) at a conference being put on by a pharmaceutical company. It was on digital health and the company I think may have had an interest in anaesthetic drugs or supplies or possibly it was surgical - (I’ve just trawled my records and without spending an hour or more I don’t think I’m going to find it) either way there were lots of Anesthetists and surgeons there, mostly because for only $100 they could knock off 20 CPD points by coming and listening to something half interesting in a nice venue for a while and get a meal and catch up with each other.

I had to fill out pages of forms with the company to get paid, firmly renounce that I would be promoting any drug or product, resolve to declare my affiliation with them for a minimum of 12 months, etc etc (this was in around 2018).

The company’s logo was on the pull out banners and the projection screens obviously but there wasn’t even a hint of drug or product anywhere in the room. No tote bag, just some mints and the pad and pen.

The ethical bar has been raised so high that medical companies are now reduced to running paid conferences on adjacencies that clinicians may possibly be interested in, that align with their college’s professional development goals, and can’t even mention their products!

So why do they even do it anymore? I pondered this as I filled out my forms - I believe it is due to residual infrastructure and marketing apparatus and budgets from the days when they could offer the world. Now they’re like vestigial organs, floundering to maintain purpose but knowing that a KPI is eyeballs on logos

The kicker is, if it was anaesthetics, there are only probably 2 makers of sevofluorane in the world anyway!




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