Pfizer accused of "influencing" Canadian doctors with payment for survey

Global drug giant Pfizer has come under attack in the Canadian daily newspaper the National Post for offering C$275.00 ($239.94) to general practitioners and cardio-logists, in return for their participation in a marketing exercise that is alleged to be "highly unethical."

Doctors are said to have been induced to prescribe a drug for cardiac treatment. The pharmaceutical firm says that the survey does not breach ethical guidelines. Concerns about Canadian doctors being influenced to prescribe a drug against their better judgement because 120 GPs and cardiologists had been reimbursed for their time in taking part in a survey, were unfounded, according to Pfizer.

Colin Rose, a cardiologist based at the Montreal, Canada-based McGill University has promised to hand over his fee to the university where he works, and complained to Canada's pharmaceutical industry trade body, the Research-Based Pharmaceutical Companies (Rx&D).