Are Gifts From Pharmaceutical Companies Ethically Problematic?

Abstract

THE MARKETING of drugs by the pharmaceutical industry is pervasive and has become a part of everyday life for most physicians. Virtually all medical journals include advertisements for drugs; pharmaceutical companies provide physicians with unsolicited information about new products; and brand-name drugs are marketed directly to consumers. However, many pharmaceutical marketing strategies are far more personal. They include the provision of gifts to physicians, sponsorship of educational and social activities for physicians, and cultivation of relationships between company representatives and physicians. The ethical issues raised by these strategies have been discussed increasingly in the recent medical literature. Many authors have concluded that pharmaceutical marketing activities pose serious problems,^1-7 and medical professional organizations have elaborated guidelines on appropriate relationships between the pharmaceutical industry and physicians.^8-11 Nevertheless, medical professionals continue to accept gifts and engage in a variety of activities sponsored by drug companies.