Rx for Physicians Debated in AMA Ethics Journal

The American Medical Association Journal of Ethics devoted its entire June issue to ways of managing drug company influence over physician prescribing practices. Articles like the "Hidden costs of free samples" and "The gift-giving influence" speak for themselves. But the debate that caught my eye began with an op-ed by Adriane Fugh-Berman and Sharon Batt calling for an end to allowing Big Pharma to financially support physicians' continuing medical education, which is a government-mandated requirement in most states. Murray Kopelow, the executive director of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education, offered a lame defense for its existing policy, which relies on conflict-of-interest disclosure and not allowing companies to design and control the content of courses. To ACCME, whose governing board includes the American Medical Association and the American Hospital Association, it's okay if every doc in the front of the room is on Big Pharma's payroll as long as they tell you that fact. I suggest you read both articles at the above link and decide for yourself who gets the better of the argument.