News of the day · Sat, Oct 10, 2026

Drugmakers' Free Lunch Program Delivers Strong Returns, Analysis Finds

The real story: Pharma’s free lunches for doctors boost inappropriate prescribing, analysis finds STAT · Oct 9, 2026

Our take: A new review finds industry gifts and payments increased inappropriate prescribing, likely raising costs. Pharma has long treated the catered sandwich as purely educational, but the marketing budget clearly tracks its return on investment. The lunch was free only to the person eating it. Everyone else gets the invoice, itemized as premiums.

The real story is linked. The headline above it and the commentary are satire, written by Medics Musings; we quote no article text and aim the jokes at the system, never at patients or reporters.

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Earlier editions

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Drugmakers' Free Lunch Program Delivers Strong Returns, Analysis Finds

Earlier editions

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