Drug Company Influence In The Va ?

[saginaw]

Can anyone tell me who would be the most appropriate govt or non-govt contact to pursue the following matter through?

Last year I had a pretty uncomfortable relationship developing with a care giver at my local VA who had a pretty unseemly (in my opinion) focus on the depression med Effexor. This doctor is the head of the mental health unit at this outpatient clinic. He had a little flyer that he'd personally printed out showing a hierarchical layout of most common antidepressants with Effexor at the top of the 'tree'.

He had originally agreed to see me in an initial visit in response to my questions regarding another medication. Almost immediately he was dissuading me from any consideration of the other med, and steering me very avidly toward Effexor. I cannot quite describe his manner except to say that he reminded me very much of a channel tv infomercial vendor. Effexor, Effexor. He was almost giddy about it.

Even then I wondered if he might have ulterior motives for pushing this single medication, but I dismissed any suspicion on the grounds that he was so highly placed in the clinic that he wouldn't possibly risk exposure of something like this.

So recently I discover in the papers an investigation into the questionable ethics of this rather widespread relationship between doctors, often very prominent doctors, and the drug companies. Well beyond coffee cups and inkpens or even ski vacations, these doctors are getting caught taking under-the-table cash to avoid both the taint of unprofessional conduct, and federal taxes! The chief medical correspondent of one of the media giants (cnbc, cnn, fox, or something or other) was caught redhanded.

I suddenly wondered again if this doctor I'd seen, for a genuine inquiry into the possibility of another medication, might simply have been 'selling' me Effexor. If this is possible I'd be greatly pissed! Heading up some of the investigations was the office of Sen. Chuch Grassely of Iowa. I sent him two letters concerning this and have yet to receive any response over a month later. I must be just another cracked-pot Veteran I guess.

Now where? I've not entirely comfortable taking something of this level to the patient advocate whose office is in the same building. She's a great person, and has been very square in the past. But I wonder if I'd be unwise to pursue something of this magnitude "internally".

Thanks so much for the great forum!

[PE1]

He's probably more familiar with using Effexor. The drug company doesn't pay him directly, specially if he's a government worker. The Government pays less for the drugs from the companies than the civilian community. So the drug companies don't make as much money from a government prescription. He would have to have stock in Wyeth Pharmaceuticals to make money from pushing Effexor. The drug rep could have been giving him pens with effexor on the pen or a clock with effexor written on it to smooch up to the dr. But I think there's a new law that says they can't take anything anymore into the clinics. No more pens or medicals books, not even donuts. They can only take, well, they should only take educational pamphlets.