Houston partner Robert Wolin was quoted in a July 9, 2009, Physician's Money Digest, "Going Unbranded Could Provide Added Benefits for Physicians."
According to the article, a recent report strongly recommends that doctors refrain from accepting much of the money, gifts, and free drug samples they routinely receive from drug and device companies. According to the article, physicians could not only save time by not meeting with pharmaceutical representatives, they would also be more likely to focus on the scientific evidence regarding the effectiveness and safety indications of a new drug or procedure. Additionally, according to the article, there is good scientific evidence now that indicates gifts do influence behavior.
Beyond the scientific evidence, Wolin said that pharmaceutical and medical device companies are rational players in the economy, and they would not have significant marketing budgets if they didn't think the gift-giving tactic worked. "They wouldn't buy the prescribing data of the physicians if they didn't think it was useful information to target specific prescribers."