Drugmaker GlaxoSmithKline will no longer pay doctors to promote its products and will stop tying compensation of sales representatives to the number of prescriptions doctors write, its chief executive said Monday, effectively ending two common industry practices that critics have long assailed as troublesome conflicts of interest.
The announcement appears to be a first for a major drug company — although others may be considering similar moves — and comes at a particularly sensitive time for Glaxo. It is the subject of a bribery investigation in China, where authorities contend the company funneled illegal payments to doctors and government officials in an effort to boost drug sales.
Andrew Witty, Glaxo's chief executive, said that its proposed changes were unrelated to the investigation in China, and are part of a yearslong effort "to try and make sure we stay in step with how the world is changing," he said.
For decades, pharmaceuticals have paid doctors to speak on their behalf at medical conferences.
New York Times
