Viagra Me

A former Viagra salesman wrote a book about his experiences as a legal drug pusher. The LA Times discusses it. Link. Excerpt:

Just in time to rescue his self-image, Reidy was selected for the V-team. The drug was introduced at a urology conference in San Diego in 1998. Pfizer had the biggest booth in the hall, and it was mobbed. Reidy writes, "The urologists of America did none of the normal things American doctors typically did post-FDA approval. They didn't want to see studies showing Viagra's efficacy. They didn't want detailed safety data. They didn't even care whether the HMOs were covering it or not."

The doctors wanted to know what dose to prescribe, what the side effects were and whether it could be used by women. Suddenly, Reidy was selling a product that didn't need to be sold; doctors and patients were begging for it. "We were like rock stars," he says. "Doctors would invite us to their golf clubs and say, 'Next time the samples come out, don't forget about me.' "