Drug maker stays close to doctors and patients

Peter A. Kouides, MD, a hematologist at Rochester (NY) General Hospital, said he once had a patient with Gaucher disease who declined to be treated with a drug made by Genzyme. For years, Genzyme's representatives were always asking the hospital about why they were not treating the patient, he says. While most pharmaceutical makers do not even know the identities of most of the people taking their drugs, Genzyme knows virtually everyone with Gaucher disease. As a result, some critics say Genzyme influences treatment to an unusual extent and encourages the use of high doses of its drug.