My wife is a drug rep, who graduated nubemr one in her class with a multi disciplinary science degree. Most of her collegues have science backgrounds (no cheerleaders), and all of them have had EXTENSIVE training in the drugs they sell. None of them is allowed to give any sort of gifts to doctors. These lavish programs set up for doctors are not mandatory, and are based on studies, not sales myths, which is why doctors attend them as part of their continuing education. She encounters doctors daily who practice out-dated medicine techniques and/or doctors that refuse to help patients with prevention drugs to to ensure the surgery phase arrives. It's not one sided Doctors v. drug companies and it's definitely not all unnecessary education these doctors are, or are not, listening to. If you like having modern medicine you should thank drug companies who fund ALL university research. They also give away a substantial amount of free drugs to those who cannot afford insurance but make too much money to get medicare/medicaid. It's not perfect but if the drug companies were not profit driven we would have 1970 s medication because there would be no incentive or financial way for very smart people to spend decades creating new drugs. I'm not a conservative person but some of this should be known and posted on websites geared specically toward the downfall of drug companies in order to be better informed to fix the problems we as a nation are faced.