Gregory—

Sorry I’ve been so slow in responding; I was traveling last
week. I completely agree that doctors should not be making a profit on anemia
injections or cancer drugs that they deliver in their offices. They should, of
course, be paid for their time and the skill involved in administering the
injection or drug. But they should not be making a profit on the product
itself—inevitably that creates a potential conflict of interest (even if it is
subconscious) when a doctor decides what drug to prescribe.

The real problem is that drugmakers are willing to give
doctors discounts which then let doctors bill insurers at the full rate and
pocket the “discount.”In the 19^th century we learned about the problems
associated with letting doctors become pharmacists—it’s ironic that we have to
learn the same lesson all over again.