Conflict of interest in medical education viewed by US Senate

The US Senate Special Committee on Aging Chairman Herb Kohl (Democrat, WIisconsin) held a hearing on conflicts of interest in medical education. In recent years, the pharmaceutical and medical device industries have increased their funding of Continuing Medical Education (CME), medical schools, and professional medical associations. The industries also pay physicians directly for their service as educational consultants. According to the Institute of Medicine, industry funding for accredited CME quadrupled from $302 million to $1.2 billion between 1998 and 2006.

Large corporations do not typically spend these sums unless they think they will get something out of it, said Chairman Kohl. 'Are the drug and device industries getting a return on their annual billion dollar investment in medical education? Do the programs funded by industry stay true to their mission of providing unbiased education and research, or do they instead market the industry¹s latest products? We are not suggesting that these financial relationships are rife with corruption, but it is clear to us that greater transparency, and perhaps stronger firewalls, should be considered,' he asked.

This influx of funding has raised concerns that CME and other medical educational activities, meant to keep doctors updated on the latest scientific advances and best practices in medicine, could be unduly influenced by the pharmaceutical and device industries. The Aging Committee heard from a number of well-respected witnesses on the topic and considered recommendations for reform of the CME delivery system. The hearing also brought attention to the ways in which some organizations are mitigating
industry influence, while also enabling legitimate physician-industry relationships to flourish.