SPOTLIGHT: Relationships between docs, drug companies also a problem in India

Looks like the issue of conflicts of interest between doctors and pharmaceutical companies isn't just limited to the U.S. According to the Wall Street Journal's Health Blog, physicians in that country are under similar scrutiny. However, no penalties can be imposed for such relationships, as their code of conduct is strictly voluntary. "It is important to have ethical guidelines," President of Public Health Foundation of India Dr. K. Srinath Reddy said. "But the profession should enforce them. We need to develop mechanisms so that a variety of transgressions are regulated and penalized." Article