SPOTLIGHT: Pharma influence goes beyond gifts

Of late, medical institutions and legislatures have been paying a great deal of attention to the gifts physicians receive from pharmaceutical companies, right down to branded pens and notepads. But are these freebies the real problem when it comes to influencing physician decisions? Actually, the industry faces much bigger problems when it comes to pharma relationships, writes Kevin Pho, MD, who blogs at KevinMD.com. To Dr. Pho, heavily promoted samples of brand name drugs lead to bigger problems, as does the limited scope of research doctors have on new drugs and pharma funding of CME courses. Article