Healthy Skepticism Library item: 12552
Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.
Publication type: news
Current AMA ethics guidelines
The Sun Journal 2008 Jan 20
http://www.sunjournal.com/story/248296-3/MaineNews/Current_AMA_ethics_guidelines/
Full text:
Small gifts are allowed as long as they benefit patients or are related to the doctor’s work. (A stethoscope would be OK, for example, but Red Sox tickets would not.)
• Free food is allowed as long as the meal is “modest” and similar to one a doctor might pay for on his or her own.
• Free drug samples are allowed.
• It is OK for drug and medical equipment companies to underwrite educational events, such as medical conferences, but individual doctors should not personally accept educational support and should not be reimbursed for travel, meals or other expenses for attending a conference or meeting.
Franklin Memorial Hospital, Farmington
Status: Recently tightened policy
• No gifts, large or small.
• No free food.
• Free drug samples allowed.
• No drug company money to subsidize the education of an individual doctor. Drug companies may pay for educational events only as long as the funding source is fully disclosed and as long as the speaker, not the drug company, chooses the content.
Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston
Status: Not considering policy change.
• Small gifts allowed.
• Free food allowed
• Free drug samples allowed.
• Drug companies can sponsor educational events, but presenter must disclose any conflict of interest.
St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Lewiston
Status: Expected to discuss issue within the year. Currently follows general AMA guidelines.
• Small gifts allowed as long as they are used for patient care.
• Free lunches are allowed during education events, but marketing is not allowed and the meal can be worth no more than the doctor would normally pay.
• Free drug samples are allowed.
• Drug and medical equipment companies may pay for educational events, seminars and speakers, but the presentation itself must be neutral.
Maine Medical Center, Portland
Status: Considering stricter policy. Currently follows general AMA guidelines.
• Small gifts of “nominal value” allowed.
• Free food allowed
• Free drug samples allowed.
• Drug companies can sponsor educational events but can’t present or promote products during the event.
Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor
Status: Considering stricter policy. Currently follows general AMA guidelines.
• Small gifts allowed and they must be related to a doctor’s work
• Free food allowed within an educational presentation
• Free drug samples allowed
• Allows drug companies to sponsor educational events.
MaineGeneral Medical Center, Augusta and Waterville
Status: Considering stricter policy. Currently:
• Loose verbal policies left up to individual departments
Rumford Hospital
Status: Not considering change. Currently:
• No policy. Allows individual doctors to decide for themselves.
Stephens Memorial Hospital, Norway
Status: Not considering policy change. Currently:
• Prohibits staff from accepting vendor gifts “which may be construed as an attempt to influence purchasing decisions.”
• Medical library does not accept gifts or money for books from drug companies.
• Allows drug companies to sponsor speakers, but the medical staff is told where the funding came from. The drug company’s representatives are not allowed to attend the presentation, approach doctors or leave items for them.
Docs and reps
94: Percentage of surveyed doctors who had some kind of relationship with the pharmaceutical industry.
83: Percentage of doctors who received free food
78: Percentage of doctors who received free drug samples
35: Percentage of doctors who received reimbursements for the costs of attending professional meetings or educational programs
28: Percentage of doctors who received money for consulting, giving lectures or enrolling patients in drug trials.
Source: New England Journal of Medicine, April 2007
Industry marketing
Nearly $30 billion: Amount the pharmaceutical industry spent on marketing in 2005
Over $18 billion: Amount spent on drug samples
$6.7 billion: Amount spent on gifts and food
Source: The Prescription Project and PhRMA
Making medicine
$43 billion: Amount that PhRMA members spent in 2006 to develop new medicines
$55.2 billion: Amount spent industry-wide to develop new medicines in 2006
6.2 million: Number of patients who got help from a PhRMA drug company to pay for their prescriptions. (An estimated wholesale value of $3.3 billion)
