Colleagues, In May 2006, the good folks at Cafepharma took a chance on letting a physician who had stumbled onto the Darkened Sample Closet and posted naively therein have this Q&A forum. Fortunately, the economics were simple; neither party wanted any money. I enjoyed conversing with the reps who called on me personally and thought this board would be an opportunity to learn more about pharmaceutical marketing, physician-field rep relations and what it was like to walk in your shoes. CP administration thought members and anonymous guests might be interested in a moderated rep-physician forum. Our arrangement, based on the digital version of a handshake, never changed. The discussions that ensued from this collaboration have been enlightening, provocative, (mostly) enjoyable and occasionally hilarious. In the last year or so, however, I have struggled with continuing the Dr. Dave forum. The times they are a-changin’ - on CP, in the marketplace and in my practice. The Dr. Dave forum has not had a new thread for many months, and as a result of my taking an administrative role at my local hospital, I interact with reps much less than I did when I started here ten years ago. Consequently, I have now decided that the time has come to close this wonderful, decade-long conversation. After February 26 (give or take a day), no new posts will be accepted here. I am told by CP administration that the content will still be available to read, so, if it still has value to you, you need not worry about losing access to it. Also, I will remain a registered member on CP, so other registered users can message me should they so desire. In short, I am not cutting ties with CP but rather contemplating a transition, possibly publishing on CP Wire, for example. I genuinely appreciate everyone who took the time to post over the years, and I hope you learned something and/or enjoyed yourself if you did. To those who preferred a view-only experience, I’m glad you stopped in. I know CP is a virtual space intended for reps, not doctors (I was educated very quickly on that the first time I posted in the Darkened Sample Closet – wow), so I am grateful that you gave me the floor at all. I will close with the nearest thing I will probably ever have to a catchphrase: Thanks for having me.
Dr Dave, We have enjoyed reading your commentary and we certainly appreciate your participation on the cafepharma message boards. It has been quite useful and interesting to gain insight into a physicians' take on the pharmaceutical industry and interactions with pharmaceutical reps. Our community has been fortunate to have your thoughtful generous responses to members' questions and replies. We wish you continued success in your new role and we look forward to reading more about your thoughts and experiences in CP Wire. Thank you again, Michael Bryan.
