Tell-All Author Fired By Lilly & Co.

NEW YORK -- Jamie Reidy, the author of a book describing the sometimes dubious methods used to market drugs to doctors, has been fired from his job at Eli Lilly & Co.

Reidy's book, Hard Sell: The Evolution of a Viagra Salesman (Andrews McMeel), described how, as a salesman at Viagra-maker Pfizer in the late 1990s, he often persuaded doctors to sign sales appointment sheets that had little relation to reality. The book was launched in early March (Brandweek March 21).

In once instance, Reidy writes, he persuaded doctors to attend "Pizza-and Dash" events at which Pfizer would buy doctors' families fast food in return for face-time with the physician. Reidy used the Pizza-and-Dash outings to collect doctors' signatures, which he would then use to convince Pfizer he was working when he was actually goofing off.

In another chapter he describes Pfizer's internal logic for avoiding blame for the deaths of some patients who had taken Viagra. It was the exertion of the sex that killed them, Reidy claimed the company argued, not Viagra.

Reidy eventually rose to become the No. 1 Viagra salesman in the nation, his book claims. He eventually left Pfizer to become a sales representative trainer at Lilly.

"The salespeople I've heard from have said congratulations and thanks for ruining it for everybody, you jerk," Reidy says of his colleagues' reaction to the book.

"I totally didn't expect to get fired. I thought naively, hey it's about Pfizer, its very lighthearted and I'm a sales trainer [at Lilly] and I know all the tricks," he added. Reidy said he only told his new bosses about his book right before it was launched. He denies any impropriety at Lilly.

Lilly rep Phil Belt confirmed the firing Tuesday: "In our opinion the book does advocate acts that we find inappropriate and in violation of company policy. And we consider this unacceptable particularly in a person charged by us with training our sales reps."

Reidy's misfortune has a silver lining, he says. Since he was canned he has received press calls from CNBC, NPR and The New York Times -- the kind of publicity that most first-time authors only dream about.

-- Jim Edwards