Bertrand told the Times that she gave about a dozen speeches for Purdue. Bertrand was vacationing in Fiji last week and unavailable for comment. Purdue Pharma has paid for pain education seminars at Charleston Area Medical Center and St. Francis Hospital. Last week, Purdue Pharma representative Emily Bright helped organize a pain clinic at Beckley Appalachian Regional Hospital. Lilly spoke, but did not accept any payment, he said.
Many drug companies pay, or help pay, for physician experts to tout their drugs to other physicians.
Often, the physician audience is given something to merely listen to the program. It might be a gift certificate, said the rep. Likewise, plenty of companies offer free educational trips to physicians, as Purdue Pharma did. St. Albans family physician Elaine Moore spends relatively little time entertaining drug reps. Instead, she reads journal articles and consults colleagues for advice on which medicines to prescribe.