"Doctors Still Taking Drug Company Freebies." MSNBC
A New England Journal of Medicine, NEJM, national survey of physicians in 6 specialties [anesthesiology, cardiology, family practice, general surgery, internal medicine, and pediatrics] confirms an extremely unhealthy relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry. The results of the survey provide the following statistics: Most physicians (94%) reported some type of relationship with the pharmaceutical industry, and most of these relationships involved receiving food in the workplace (83%) or receiving drug samples (78%). More than one third of the respondents (35%) received reimbursement for costs associated with professional meetings or continuing medical education, and more than one quarter (28%) received payments for consulting, giving lectures, or enrolling patients in trials.
MSNBC asserts that this NEJM survey is follow-up to one done in 2002 by Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, a trade group that voluntarily adopted rules limiting the value of monetary gifts and certain entertainment perks. When asked to comment on the results of the NEJM survey, the response was this is "common knowledge". Apparently this trade group, and by extension its physician members, believe the practices unearthed by the survey constitute a legitimate way to educate physicians about the latest drugs and technology.
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