Healthy Skepticism Library item: 18208

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: Electronic Source

Silverman E
Psychiatry Group Releases A New Code Of Conduct
Pharmalot 2010 Jun 14
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/06/psychiatry-group-releases-a-new-code-of-conduct/

Full text:

Under scrutiny for relationships with drugmakers, the American Psychiatric Association has issued its long-awaited code of conduct, although specifics are lacking. For now, the APA says financial relationships between developers of continuing medical education programs and research activity and outside organizations must be “clearly stated;” APA educational programs must follow ACCME standards (see this) and advertising in APA publications, meetings, or websites does not include endorsements of any particular medicine or drugmaker.
More than some other specialties, psychiatry has been singled out as part of a US Senate Finance Committee probe into financial conflicts of interest among academic psychiatrists who accept federal funding while simultaneously maintaining relationships with drugmakers that market antidepressants and antipsychotics (background). Two recent papers raised questions about undue industry influence (see this).
“We’re trying to make clear to folks what the rules are,” James Scully, the APA medical director and ceo, tells us and notes that more specifics should be forthcoming. “We’re trying to make things clear and explicit rather than implicit. Awareness grew over the last several years and there’s a problem that needs attending to…so it’s time to look at it. A number of people, including (APA) members and residents in particular. the younger folks, were increasingly distressd at the role of the pharmceuticl industry…We need to be clear that we are educating them and are free of marketing influences, and free of conflicts of interest. Everybody should understand what a conflict is when there’s a third party involved.”
UPDATE: Separately, the APA assembly late last week rejected a separate set of 14 recommendations to regulate individual psychiatrist relationships with industry. The draft report, which was developed by an 11-member working group headed by former APA president Paul Appelbaum, had released a year ago and distributed to APA members for feedback. “As the opposition ages out of the organization and as younger psychiatrists who grew up in a different ethical environment and have different professional values that are more reflective of those of mainstream medicine, age into the organization, these guidelines will inevitably be adopted by the APA. It may not happen at the next assembly meeting [in November], but I have every expectation that it will eventually happen,” Joshua Sonkiss told Medscape.
The APA code that as adopted was begun while Alan Schatzberg, who was among those probed by the committee (see here and here), was the organization’s president. He told the WSJ Health blog that the APA wants a “collaborative relationship” and that it’s “not in anyone’s best interest to shut out an industry voice.”
Of course, there are various reasons to maintain a working relationship with industry, starting with info about useful treatments. At the same time, the APA is under financial pressure after eliminating industry-funded sessions at its annual meetings. Over the past year, the group experienced a $7.5 million drop in industry revenue, which the WSJ notes amounts to a 10 percent cut.