Johns Hopkins tightens rules on industry interaction, bans gifts from drugmakers

In another move by US academia to cuts its ties with commerce, the Johns Hopkins University Medicine School (JHM) has adopted a new policy  that significantly limits interactions with industry while ensuring  effective, principled and appropriate partnerships with pharmaceutical  and medical device makers. Earlier this month, similar action was  advocated by a group of physicians writing in the Journal of the  American Medical Association (Marketletter  April 13).

Called the Johns Hopkins Medicine Policy on Interaction with Industry,  the policy will take effect July 1. Chief among the new rules are those  that prohibit the acceptance of gifts or entertainment - including food  - regardless of value, from drug and device companies. Consulting  arrangements that carry personal compensation but no real duties also  are prohibited and, beginning in 2010, the JHM will no longer accept  free medicine samples, although in some limited cases, those that are  de-identified (ie, without the brand or manufacturer's name), may be  used for patient education.

Restricts medical reps access