It's About Their Money (Taking $$ To Prescribe Drugs For Off Label Use)

[Justice]

Former Model/Actress Sues Popular Hollywood Dermatologist

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/GMA/Living/Botox_Suit_040907-1.html

A former model's case against a dermatologist to the stars is expected to reveal details about the financial relationships that often exist between doctors and the pharmaceutical companies.

Medavoy says she didn't know that her famous doctor was making money from the company that makes Botox. The former model says Dr. Klein was on the company payroll as a $100,000-a-year consultant.

She also claims she didn't know that other people treated with Botox had reported traumatic experiences

"Dr. Klein absolutely has a financial relationship with Allergan, a consulting agreement that is not uncommon at all," Benice said. "It's a growing issue in the medical and pharmaceutical business. Pharmaceutical companies will contract with physicians, pay them a lot of money essentially to use them to expand the use of an FDA-approved drug into non-FDA approved uses, and it was an issue that was never disclosed to Irena ."

_______________________________

This is one of the many reasons drugs are so expensive today. Advertising, marketing and paying doctors to prescribe your drugs for off label uses. Seems to me this story would be very interesting to John Kerry and John Edwards -- really makes the doctors look alot less "noble" and "loving".

[rfranklin]

1. It's there to catch the vomit...

so you don't have to take your mask off to retch.