Medical school

AMA won't ban industry-funded education

Tracy Staton — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 11:32:17 -0400

Pharma marketers can sigh with relief. The American Medical Association won't be banning industry-funded CME this year, at least. At the association's annual meeting, delegates opted against a proposal to bar drugmakers from sponsoring residencies and fellowships, live or online CME, speakers' bureaus, travel and lodging, and the like. "Industry support of professional education has raised concerns that threaten the integrity of medicine’s educational function," the proposal stated.

Apparently, there were some concerns about a sponsorship ban, too. So the controversial measure, which would also have banned industry gifts and detailing at med schools, will get further review instead.

- read the Pharmalot item

Med school fires ex-FDA commish

Mon, 17 Dec 2007 06:59:55 -0500

Ex-FDA chief David Kessler got the boot at University of California-San Francisco, where he has been dean of the medical school since 2003. In an e-mail announcing his impending departure, Kessler said he'd pointed out financial irregularities to university officials; the school tagged him as a whistle-blower and asked him to leave, Kessler wrote.

The "financial irregularities" were figures he was given when UCSF was trying to recruit him from Yale in 2003. Those numbers showed dean's office funds of $71.8 million for 2007-2008. But when Kessler had the med school's books audited, the fund actually was projected at $31.9 million in the red by 2007-2008. Kessler complained; his relations with university officials grew strained; and finally the school's chancellor asked him to resign. He'll stay on as a faculty member.

- here's more from USA Today
- read details about the saga in the Washington Post

Related Article:
A Step in the Right Direction? Report

Med schools tight with drug makers

Wed, 17 Oct 2007 06:59:56 -0400

You can't accuse pharma companies of failing to think ahead. They begin to forge links with future doctors before they even start med school. And according to a new study in the Journal of the American Medical Association, a clear majority of department chairs have personal relationships--consulting agreements and the like--with drug makers. Two-thirds of departments get equipment, funding and even money for food and drinks.

Three guesses which departments are most likely to have relationships with industry (hint: microbiology isn't one of them). That's right, clinical departments, such as medicine and psychiatry, are more likely to be linked to pharma companies.

Study author Eric Campbell, an associate professor at Harvard Medical School, said he sees no justification for involving drug companies in medical education. Schools need to come up with clear-cut rules governing any interaction, he says. But two-thirds of department chairs believe their relationships with pharma don't affect their performance--so why would they think they need to change?

- read the article from the Washington Post

Related Articles:
Pfizer wants to party with docs online. Report
No freebies? No entry for pharma reps. Report
Psychiatrists getting largest pharma gifts. Report
Groups plan new fight to limit pharma-doctor ties. Report
Thinking through pharma bans. Editorial

Read more on: Pharma/MD ties