Medical Students, Pew Find Improvement in Medical School Pharmaceutical Conflict-of-Interest...

Medical Students, Pew Find Improvement in Medical School Pharmaceutical
Conflict-of-Interest Policies, But Many Lag

RESTON, Va. and BOSTON, June 16 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Over one-fifth of
U.S. medical schools improved their conflict-of-interest rules in the past
year, yet dozens of others lag behind according to the 2009 American Medical
Student Association (AMSA) PharmFree Scorecard, released today. The Scorecard,
developed by AMSA and the Pew Prescription Project, finds that 45 of 149
medical schools now receive a grade of A or B for their policies governing
pharmaceutical industry interaction with medical school faculty and students,
compared with only 29 last year. However, for the second year, dozens of
schools received grades of D or F and remain far behind the national leaders.

The AMSA PharmFree Scorecard (www.amsascorecard.org) offers a comprehensive
national overview, as well as an in-depth, school-by-school analysis in 11
areas, including gifts and meals from industry to doctors, paid promotional
speaking for industry, acceptance of free drug samples, interaction with sales
representatives and industry-funded education.

Top-ranked (A) schools in the 2009 report include: Mount Sinai School of
Medicine (New York), the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, the
University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, the
University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, the University of California
Davis School of Medicine, the University of California San Francisco School of
Medicine, and the University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston. Johns
Hopkins School of Medicine and Mayo Medical School improved their policies
since last year to get A grades, from grades of D.

Of the 149 U.S. medical schools, 9 receive As (6%), 36 Bs (24%), 18 Cs (12%),
17 Ds (11%) and 35 Fs. Schools that declined to submit policies and schools
that did not respond to repeated requests for policies received an automatic
'F' (23 schools). Thirty-four respondents received a grade of "In Process"
because their policies are currently under review or revision.

"Every day, medical students witness the increasing reach of pharmaceutical
marketing and the way it can distort medical care," says Dr. Lauren Hughes,
MPH, AMSA national president. "By eliminating the gifts and the misleading
information that drug reps currently bring into our schools, hospitals and
academic medical centers, we will be able to better practice evidence-based
medicine. And that translates into better care for our patients."

AMSA developed the rigorous scorecard methodology with the Pew Prescription
Project, which works to promote consumer safety through reforms in the
approval, manufacture and marketing of prescription drugs.

"There's no doubt that some schools are responding to scandals and pressure
from lawmakers, but there is also real leadership within the medical
profession," said Allan Coukell, director of the Pew Prescription Project.
"There is no excuse now for the schools that haven't acted."

Virtual Press Conference

On Tuesday, June 16th at 12 p.m. EST/9 a.m. PST, AMSA and the Pew Prescription
Project will host a virtual press conference to detail the AMSA PharmFree
Scorecard, its objectives and results.

Toll Free Access Number: 877-366-0711
Participant Passcode: 98824740#

Background

In April, the Institute of Medicine called on medical students, researchers
and doctors to reject gifts of any size from the pharmaceutical industry,
refuse offers to sit on speaker bureaus, limit interactions with sales
representatives and disclose all payments and financial ties with the
industry. In 2008, the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC)
released a report calling for similar limits on the interaction between the
pharmaceutical industry and physicians.

Pharmaceutical industry marketing to doctors has been estimated at $28 billion
to $46 billion per year, with additional promotion by the medical device
industry. This equates to an average of $35,000 per year directed at each
physician. This spending is designed to increase doctors' prescribing volume,
often toward more expensive drugs.

About the American Medical Student Association
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), with more than a half-century
history of medical student activism, is the oldest and largest independent
association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950,
AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing
the concerns of physicians-in-training. With more than 62,000 members,
including medical and premedical students, residents and practicing
physicians, AMSA is committed to improving medical training as well as
advancing the profession of medicine. AMSA focuses on four strategic
priorities, including advocating for quality, affordable health care for all,
global health equity, enriching medicine through diversity and professional
integrity, development and student well being. To learn more about AMSA, our
strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online at
www.amsa.org.

AMSA's PharmFree Campaign guides medical students in organizing to advocate
for evidence-based rather than marketing-based prescribing practices, the
removal of conflicts of interest and global access to essential medicines.
AMSA provides toolkits, talks and training institutes to help medical students
advance these goals. For more information, please visit www.pharmfree.org.

About the Pew Prescription Project
The Pew Prescription Project is an initiative of The Pew Charitable Trusts to
promote consumer safety through reforms in the approval, manufacture and
marketing of prescription drugs. For more information, please visit
www.prescriptionproject.org.

SOURCE American Medical Student Association

Kim Cunningham of the American Medical Student Association, +1-781-223-4042,
pr@amsa.org; or Kathy Melley, +1-617-275-2861, kmelley@communitycatalyst.org,
for the Pew Prescription Project