Verified by The Drug-Branded Ballpoint
A new study shows that freebie pens and trinkets may actually
influence physicians.
By Jeff Grossman published July 1, 2004 - last reviewed on June 9, 2016
It's an office supply graveyard: Thousands of glossy multicolored
pens spill out of the filing cabinets in Robert Goodman's office at
Columbia University Medical Center in New York City. Goodman, an
assistant professor of medicine, is on a mission to stop pen-freebie
largesse-and its potential influence on doctors.
Under his No Free Lunch campaign, Goodman is reducing the number of
drug-branded ballpoints in circulation. He practices "pen amnesty": Send
him a drug pen, and he'll send you back a No Free Lunch
replacement.
Giveaways merely raise awareness of new drugs, says a spokesman for
the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America. But Goodman
argues that trinkets subconsciously influence physicians. One study found
that 61 percent of medical residents said freebies had no effect on them,
but only 16 percent thought the same was true of their colleagues.
About 350 doctors and medical students have taken Goodman's No Free
Lunch pledge. An online directory of doctors who have sworn off gifts is
in the works.
