Philip Morris accuses doctors of hypocrisy
The AMA and RACGP spoke out against the tobacco giant's plan to pay pharmacies to stock its vape products
Doctors who oppose a Philip Morris plan to pay pharmacists to stock its vaping products are guilty of ‘double standards’, the tobacco giant has declared.
Philip Morris Limited planned to pay pharmacies $275 if they made an initial order to stock its products, according to media reports this week.
As an extra incentive, pharmacies were offered $5 for each patient they referred to a GP for a prescription, according to a leaked invitation to the “VEEV Pharmacy Program”, run through the pharmacy IT group PharmaPrograms.
Reports of the scheme quickly drew the ire of the RACGP, with college President Adjunct Professor Karen Price describing it as “diabolical”, “cynical” and “cash for vapes”.
