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Tom Crann
St. Paul, Minn.

Ask Dr. Hallberg: Drug maker to stop paying physicians to promote products

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Dr. Jon Hallberg
Dr. Jon Hallberg is assistant professor in family medicine at the University of Minnesota, and medical director at Mill City Clinic. He is a regular medical analyst on MPR's All Things Considered.
Photo courtesy Tom Bloom

GlaxoSmithKline, one of the world's biggest drug makers, has decided to stop paying physicians who promote or speak on behalf of their products.

Reuters reports:

The move may force other companies to act, since the entire drugs industry has been under fire for aggressive marketing tactics in recent years.

"Where GSK leads we must hope that other companies will follow," Fiona Godlee, editor of the British Medical Journal and an influential campaigner against undue industry influence in medical practice, told Reuters.

"But there is a long way to go if we are to truly to extricate medicine from commercial influence. Doctors and their societies have been too ready to compromise themselves."

Dr. Jon Hallberg, a physician in family medicine at the University of Minnesota and a regular medical analyst on All Things Considered, has long been following the issue and discussed it with MPR News' Tom Crann. Click play above to hear their conversation.