Inside STAT: Caregivers or marketers? Nurses paid by drug companies face scrutiny amid lawsuits

MICHELLE DOMEY NORMALLY PAYS $23 IN MONTHLY COPAYS FOR HER SON’S FOUR ALLOTTED DOSES OF HUMIRA. (ARAM BOGHOSIAN FOR STAT)

Recent lawsuits filed against several major drug makers have sparked scrutiny of nurses paid by drug companies, often known as "nurse educators." They teach patients how to use complicated medications, work to resolve drug-related problems, and help with insurance paperwork. When Michelle Domey's 14-year-old son accidentally spilled some of his Humira, an AbbVie "nurse ambassador" arranged for a free one to be sent to their home. But the lawsuits contend that nurse educators are used to make sure prescriptions get refilled, which one critical called "marketing laundered through your doctor." STAT's Ed Silverman and Karen Weintraub have the story here.