The Doctor Won't See You Now

Dr. Lucy E. Hornstein is fed up with pharmaceutical salespeople. So whenever a rep walks into her Valley Forge (Pa.) family practice, she whips out a sheet of rules. Among them: No visits allowed except between noon and 2 p.m. Do not bring any pens, sticky pads, or other knickknacks bearing the name of the drug you're touting. Furthermore, Hornstein says, "I tell them, 'don't talk to me about drugs because everything you say is propaganda.'" The constant stream of salespeople in Hornstein's office has pretty much dried up, for which she declares: "Good riddance."

Bye-bye Big Pharma sales rep. A host of forces is now converging to clamp down on hard-driving, gift-toting pharmaceutical pitchmasters who have been ambushing physicians for the last decade. Doctors, consumer groups, and government regulators have all had enough. And now, pharma CEOs are questioning whether the hard sell even pays off. On Jan. 22, Pfizer Inc. (PFE ) announced unprecedented layoffs. As part of an effort to cut $2 billion in costs by the end of 2008, and to adjust to the loss of patents on several blockbusters, it plans to eliminate 7,800 jobs across the board, including 20% of the European sales force. That's on top of the 2,200 U.S. salespeople who were let go in November.