US doctors who regular offer professional advice to their colleagues now must declare their ties to Big Pharma. This is because doctors frequently receive payments from pharmaceutical companies and the information they offer may be tainted by conflicts of interest.
Since May, a new ethical code, created by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), means that doctors with Big Pharma ties are no longer permitted to mention brand names, cannot give clinical advice and must present objective medical evidence.
According to New Scientist magazine (April 30, 2005), it’s a step in the right direction, but doesn’t go far enough as there is currently no way of taking legal action against those who break the code.
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