Students Across the Country Ask Medical Schools to Address Conflict of Interests & Reduce Marketing

Nov. 14, 2011 - PRLog -- Reston, Va.— Thousands of medical students from across the country will celebrate National PharmFree Week, November 14-18, 2011, and call upon their schools to implement comprehensive conflict of interest policies, train students and residents on marketing and industry interaction, and increase access to medicines globally. National PharmFree Week is sponsored by the American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the nation’s largest, independent medical student organization.

AMSA’s PharmFree Campaign was launched in 2002 and encourages medical schools and academic medical centers to develop policies that encourage evidence-based prescribing and industry partnership for research innovation while reducing the impact of marketing, gifting and conflicts of interest. This year AMSA has provided grants to student groups from Texas, Arizona, Tennessee, Ohio, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, Maryland and New York to host local projects throughout the week.

“Our goal is to change the culture of medicine from relying on the convenience of marketing and the luxury of free gifts to a culture which puts patients first by prioritizing evidence-based medicine and eliminating the gifts and meals which result in higher drug prices for patients,” says Tim Anderson, AMSA PharmFree Campaign Chair and fourth year medical student at Case Western Reserve University. “Our patients deserve the most effective and affordable care, which is not always the newest or most expensive medicines being marketed.”

In 2007, AMSA released its PharmFree Scorecard, a first-of-its-kind ranking which evaluates conflict-of-interest policies at medical colleges nationwide. The fourth iteration of the AMSA PharmFree Scorecard, released December 2010, demonstrated stronger policies nationally and for the first time over half of US medical schools received A or B grades on their policies. Individual evaluations can be found at http://www.amsascorecard.org.

“AMSA has led the movement to address conflicts of interest within the medical profession,” says Danielle Salovich, AMSA National President. “Physicians should provide care based on the best existing clinical evidence—not carefully-packaged advertising—and continue to uphold personal and professional integrity.”

For more information on National PharmFree Week, please visit http://www.pharmfree.org.

About the American Medical Student Association

AMSA is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA is a student-governed, non-profit organization committed to representing the concerns of physicians-in-training. To learn more about AMSA, our strategic priorities, or joining the organization, please visit us online at http://www.amsa.org.

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The American Medical Student Association is the oldest and largest independent association of physicians-in-training in the United States. Founded in 1950, AMSA makes medicine a better place for students, patients and communities.