The U.S. and New Zealand are the only indust. nation allowing direct marketing to consumers!

Pharmaceutical Payola -- Drug Marketing to Doctors

In the meantime, a ban on Pharma gifts to doctors would be a modest step forward. In the United States, notes Petersen, "radio disc jockeys can't take cash from music companies. But when it comes to something like medicines -- which mean life or death for people -- doctors can take as much money as they want from the drug companies. We need a law to stop that."