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A comment on Opioid makers made payments to one in 12 U.S. doctors. Parent comment

Re:Opioid makers made payments to one in 12 U.S. doctors by rdtsc on Friday August 18, 2017 @03:57PM (#15049261)
Sure free lunch has always been seen as a perk even for the supposedly rational and logical people like programmers (being slightly sarcastic there). I've heard of people going for a lower paying jobs and citing free lunch as deciding factor.

Moreover there are other ways to influence doctors. In some states they have to pass certifications or exams for continued education. Pharma companies would pay the companies writing the tests to insert names of their drugs in there.

There are speaking fees and other such things. Eventually the law catches up but by then they find a new loophole.

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Re:Opioid makers made payments to one in 12 U.S. doctors by slededit on Friday August 18, 2017 @05:43PM (#15049989)
Getting lunch from your employer isn't the same and doesn't cause a conflict of interest. Its not about the lunch but rather who the lunch is coming from.

If you worked for google and Uber was buying your lunches then there would be a conflict of interest.

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Re:Opioid makers made payments to one in 12 U.S. doctors by rdtsc on Friday August 18, 2017 @09:42PM (#15051131)
I was just trying to point out that rational people will do silly things for free lunches. And the original claim that lunches wouldn't make a difference in opiod prescription is not always true.
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