In February, 2005, The American Journal of Medicine published my commentary concerning the relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry. The subject of satire for centuries, the close economic connections between doctors and druggists or apothecaries has taken a new form in the 21st century. Contemporary global discussions involve attempts to define ethically appropriate behavior involving physicians and the pharmaceutical and/or device companies. The question is repeatedly asked: Should physicians have any dealings at all with these industrial giants? In the US, Congress and the media have taken a great interest in these relationships and their potential for abuse. There is expressed societal concern that the current high cost of pharmaceutical agents is the result of connections between doctors and industry that are fraught with potential for conflict of interest. As a result of the debate surrounding this possibly conflicted relationship, some medical schools and medical centers have recently banned industry representatives from their campuses.
As noted in my earlier commentary, a great deal has been written about this subject both from the point of view of the “truly ethical physician” and from the perspective of the “truly ethical pharmaceutical company.”
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— Joseph S. Alpert, MD
This article was originally published in the April 2008 issue of the American Journal of Medicine.
