It's getting harder to buy Harvard Medical School faculty, now that it has released a stricter conflict-of-interest policy.
The new policy requires faculty to disclose financial interests on a new website. They are prohibited from accepting "all personal gifts, travel or meals from industry, other than travel and meals in the course of allowed activities," and they cannot participate in industry speakers bureaus or any engagement "that limits the faculty member's intellectual independence in presenting content."
The new rules are designed to keep doctors from becoming, or being perceived as, marketing agents for industry, Dr. Robert Mayer, told the Boston Globe. He chaired the committee that met more than 30 times over 18 months to write the new policy. "We're anxious to be viewed publicly as doing what's in the best interest of our patients," he said.
The changes come in response to national scrutiny in recent years over medical faculty ties to industry. One of the most vocal proponents has been Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa), who investigated several Harvard physicians accused of breaking medical school and federal conflict-of-interest rules.
The recommendations emphasize transparency and aim to reduce the influence of marketing, according to Harvard Medical School. The new rules will be phased in beginning Jan. 2011.
Harvard's policy is stricter than some other medical schools' policies in some ways, the Globe reports. Harvard faculty members cannot earn more than $10,000 a year from a company whose product or technology they are investigating in clinical research. That's half the previous income limit.
The school's approach to continuing medical education is still more lenient than others, which prohibit companies from funding specific continuing medical medication courses. Harvard's new policy says that at least two companies must pay for any individual course.
To learn more:
- here's Harvard Medical School's press release on the new policy
- here's the school's conflict-of-interest policy
- read this Boston Globe article
- check out this Bloomberg article
- check out the Harvard Crimson article
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