Medical Schools Plug Holes in Conflict-of-Interest Policies

Reacting to ProPublica's Dollars for Docs coverage, Stanford and other schools discipline doctors, rewrite policies and increase scrutiny of drug-industry ties.

Cardiac Society Draws Bulk of Funding From Stent Makers

The Society for Cardiac Angiography and Interventions got more than half its income in 2009 from medical device and pharmaceutical makers. This week, a study in JAMA questioned why more patients who received angioplasty and stents didn't first receive recommended medications.

Heart Docs Reject Claims Of Bias From Industry Money

Many physicians attending the Heart Rhythm Society conference see little cause for concern in the heavy financial support drug and medical device industries provide to medical specialist societies, saying the ties are informative and beneficial to patient care.

How Much Money Do Groups Receive From Industry?

Heart Society’s Tip Sheets Fail To Mention Risks

The Heart Rhythm Society says the financial support it receives from drug and medical-device makers plays no role in its advocacy for certain treatments. Information sheets published by the group do not mention potential risks from implanted defibrillators or cardiac catheter ablation.

Financial Ties Bind Medical Societies to Drug and Device Makers

Professional groups like the Heart Rhythm Society write guidelines on treatments and the use of medical devices, but researchers say their acceptance of sponsorships and grants from drug and device makers poses a conflict of interest that many patients never consider.

The Heart Rhythm Society Responds to ProPublica’s Questions

Reporters Charles Ornstein and Tracy Weber sent the Heart Rhythm Society a set of questions about potential conflicts of interest regarding the group’s acceptance of drug and device industry marketing money. The responses below were provided by the group’s president, Dr. Douglas L. Packer, and president-elect, Dr. Bruce L. Wilkoff.

Medical Groups Shy About Detailing Industry Financial Support

Sen. Charles Grassley asked 33 health organizations who their corporate backers are, and responses show that some get half their income from the medical industry. Critics say public disclosure of industry ties is needed.

Dollars for Docs Adds Payouts from HIV Drug Maker

ViiV Healthcare, which specializes in HIV medications, disclosed paying $3.4 million in speaking and consulting fees to doctors during the first three quarters of 2010. It becomes the eighth company in Dollars for Docs database.

Dollars for Docs Sparks Policy Rewrite at Colorado Teaching Hospitals

The University of Colorado Denver and its affiliated teaching hospitals have launched an overhaul of conflict of interest policies after a ProPublica database revealed extensive ties between its faculty and pharmaceutical companies.

Dollars for Docs Payments Approach $300 Million

ProPublica has added another $13 million in payments to our Dollars for Docs database of drug-company spending on doctors and other health professionals. That brings the total to nearly $295 million.

Drug Companies Retain Tight Control of Physicians’ Presentations

Drug companies keep strict control of materials doctors use in paid presentations about pharmaceuticals. The companies say this ensures that speakers comply with U.S. FDA regulations.

Med Schools Flunk at Keeping Faculty Off Pharma Speaking Circuit

Top U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals are failing to adequately enforce policies that prohibit or restrict faculty physicians from being paid by drug companies to give promotional speeches about their products.

In Minnesota, Drug Company Reports of Payments to Doctors Arrive Riddled With Mistakes

A new federal plan will require drug and medical device companies to report all payments to U.S. physicians in 2013. The danger? As Minnesota discovered, some information submitted may not be accurate.

Drug Firms Say They'll Take Closer Look at the Docs They Pay

Seven drug companies paid $7.1 million to 292 doctors who faced disciplinary action or other regulatory sanctions, ProPublica found. Several companies say they may take steps to tighten screening procedures for physicians who are paid as speakers or for other activities promoting prescription drugs.

Dollars for Docs: Who’s On Pharma’s Top-Paid List?

A review of the highest-earning physicians in ProPublica’s Dollars for Docs database offers insight into why some medical professionals are drawn to the lucrative sideline of public speaking to promote favored drugs.

Reminder: Dollars for Docs Conference Call Happening This Afternoon

How the Drug Companies Say They Screen Their Speaker Docs

The seven drug companies that have disclosed their payments to doctors say they screen their "speakers" but many do not check state medical disciplinary databases.

Lawsuits Say Pharma Illegally Paid Doctors to Push Their Drugs

Pharma companies are being accused in lawsuits of paying doctors to push off-label uses of their drugs or financially rewarding doctors for prescribing their brand-name medications.