Kicking industry out of the Dr office

http://www.EmploymentCrossing.com Universities, medical associations and doctors are responding to criticism of their close financial ties to medical device and drug companies. Medical schools and hospitals are changing their policies, to lessen the influence of industry on the practice of medicine. Sen. Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa, has led the charge. This week, Grassley criticized a University of Texas researcher who worked on a National Institutes of Health study involving the antidepressant Paxil. The scientist had not disclosed more than $150,000 in consulting and speaking fees paid to her by the GlaxoSmithKline, the manufacturer of Paxil. Grassley has criticized other institutions, including Harvard and Stanford Universities, for similar conflicts. He is sponsoring a bill to require drugmakers to report all payments to doctors. If passed, it would require that drug companies disclose everything from buying meals to flying them to conferences at resorts. According to the Associated Press, about a quarter of all U.S. medical schools have now implemented policies governing industry bribes. Some have gone so far as to ban drug company sales reps from handing out free samples. Some companies attempt to influence doctors by sponsoring their continuing medical education classes, or CME. The Association of American Medical Colleges put out guidelines that bar drugmakers from paying for CME courses on specific topics, but allow donations to a central fund.

LiveVideo | September 12, 2008

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