Pharmaceutical Speakers' Bureaus, Academic Freedom, and the Management of Promotional Speaking at Academic Medical Centers

Abstract

Pharmaceutical companies routinely engage physicians, particularly those with prestigious academic credentials, to deliver educational talks to groups of physicians in the community to help market the company's brand-name drugs. These speakers receive substantial compensation to lecture at events sponsored by pharmaceutical companies, a practice that has garnered attention, controversy, and scrutiny in recent years from legislators, professional associations, researchers, and ethicists on the issue of whether it is appropriate for academic physicians to serve in a promotional role. These relationships have become so contentious that three years ago the pharmaceutical industry trade association, the Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America (PhRMA), adopted voluntary guidelines stating that drug companies should stop giving doctors free pens, calendars, sports bags, or tickets to entertainment events. Further, numerous medical associations, such as the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC), the American Board of Internal Medicine (ABIM) and the Institute on Medicine as a Profession (IMAP), and government bodies such as the Institute of Medicine (IOM) have recommended that medical schools and teaching hospitals prohibit or strongly discourage faculty from participating in so-called industry Speakers Bureaus — promotional events designed solely to market pharmaceutical products.