Institute of Medicine tries to undo the ties that bind Big Pharma to MDs

Millions of dollars in gifts, travel and consulting fees from the pharmaceutical industry should be eliminated to stop companies from influencing how doctors practice medicine, a report by the government's top medical advisers says.

The sweeping recommendations from the Institute of Medicine call on medical professionals — from university professors to family doctors — to shun financial arrangements with companies that have flourished over the past three decades.

Taking free lunches from company salespeople, giving paid lectures on their behalf and other practices "erode public trust while providing no meaningful benefits to patients or society," institute panel chair Dr. Bernard Lo said in a statement.

The report calls on medical schools, hospitals and physician groups to:

• publicly report funding they receive from companies.

• not accept free meals, gifts or other items from companies.

• prohibit doctors who have a financial conflicts of interest from testing new therapies on people.

The 353-page document arrives as state and federal lawmakers bolster efforts to require companies to publicly report the money they spend courting physicians. The report could give them more leverage in their push to untangle the knotty relationships between industry and physicians, which some say drive up the cost of medicine.

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