Introduction: Evidence suggests that 80-90% of doctors in most countries across the world are frequently visited by pharmaceutical company representatives (PCRs). The objective of study to examine perceptions of Libyan doctors between August and October 2010, regarding the benefits, ethical issues and influences of their interactions with (PCRs).

Methods: An anonymous questionnaire was circulated to 1,000 Libyan doctors in selected public and private practice settings in Tripoli, Benghazi and Sebha.

Results: The major benefits of PCR visits reported in the 608 evaluable responses were; receiving new information about products (94.4%). The majority of doctors (75%) were not against the provision of gifts but were more comfortable if it was "cheap" (51%) and had educational value (51%). Doctors who received more printed materials, simple gifts or drug samples were less likely to disapprove of accepting gifts (p<0.05). The majority of respondents (56%) disagreed with the statement that PCRs should be the main source of drug information. Sixty-two per cent of respondents reported that they believed pharmaceutical advertisements had minimal influence on doctors' prescribing practices in general and had even less effect (80%) on their own prescribing. Most doctors (99%) were unaware of any published guidelines for medical practitioner-PCR interactions and 57% of the respondents approved of establishing a national policy to control PCR interactions.

Conclusion: The majority of surveyed doctors believed that their interactions with PCRs were beneficial but should not be the sole source of drug information. Education regarding promotional techniques should be provided in medical schools and be reinforced at an institutional level.