Medical School Scorecard on Pharma Conflicts of Interest

Here is a press release from AMSA, the American Medical Student Association, where we still have hope for changes in the corruption of the medical field, directly affecting our health and longevity.

Thought you would be interested in the scorecard of universities teaching the new docs on the block...

pr@amsa.org  to me

show details 5:17 AM (6 hours ago)

MAJORITY OF U.S. MEDICAL SCHOOLS HAVE STRONG PHARMACEUTICAL CONFLICT-OF-INTEREST POLICIES; MEDICAL STUDENT SURVEY FINDS

Reston, Va. and Washington, D.C. — The majority of U.S. medical schools have implemented strong conflict-of-interest policies this year, according to the 2010 American Medical Student Association (AMSA) PharmFree Scorecard, released today. The Scorecard, developed by AMSA and the Pew Prescription Project, finds that 79 of 152 medical schools (52%) now receive a grade of A or B for their policies governing pharmaceutical industry interaction with medical school faculty and students, compared with 45 last year.

The AMSA PharmFree Scorecard (www.amsascorecard.org), now in its fourth year, offers a comprehensive national overview, as well as an in-depth, school-by-school analysis in 11 areas, including gifts and meals from industry to doctors, paid promotional speaking for industry, acceptance of free drug samples, interaction with sales representatives and industry-funded education.

Of the 152 U.S. medical schools, 19 receive As (13%), 60 Bs (39%), 24 Cs (16%), 18 Ds (12%) and 26 Fs (17%). Schools that declined to submit policies and schools that did not respond to repeated requests for policies received an automatic ‘F’ (12 schools). Five respondents received a grade of “In Process” because their policies are currently under review or revision.

Highlights of the survey include:

•       The University of South Dakota, Des Moines College of Osteopathic Medicine and Tufts University School of Medicine have increased from ‘D’ policies to ‘A’ policies this year. Tufts is now the highest scoring medical school in Massachusetts.

•       The University of New England College of Osteopathic Medicine, increased its grade from a ‘F’ to a ‘C’.

•       The University of Central Florida College of Medicine, which only opened its doors in 2009, received a ‘B’.

•       There are only two medical schools that received a perfect score for limiting access of sales representatives – the University of South Dakota Sanford School of Medicine and Florida State University College of Medicine.

•       Nearly one-third of medical schools now teach medical students to understand institutional conflict of interest policies, to recognize how industry promotion and marketing can influence clinical judgment and to consider the ethics around conflict of interest.

The other top-ranked, (‘A’) schools in the 2010 report include: Mount Sinai School of Medicine (New York), University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, University of California Los Angeles David Geffen School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine, University of California Davis School of Medicine, University of California San Francisco School of Medicine, University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Mayo Medical School, University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Georgetown University School of Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, and the University of Southern California Keck School of Medicine.

“As conflict-of-interest policies become part of mainstream medical education, this is an exciting time for future physicians and the health care industry as a whole,” says John Brockman, AMSA national president and fourth year medical student at Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine. “With all of the compelling data about how marketing influences even the best-intentioned physicians, it is gratifying to see that medical schools are taking the necessary steps toward practicing evidence-based medicine, which translates into better patient care.” Case Western increased its grade this year from a ‘D’ to a ‘B’.

AMSA developed the rigorous scorecard methodology with the Pew Prescription Project, which works to promote consumer safety through reforms in the approval, manufacture and marketing of prescription drugs.

“Conflict of interest policies ensure appropriate relationships between caregivers and drug and medical device companies,” said Allan Coukell, director of medical safety for the Pew Health Group, which supports AMSA’s work. “The 2010 scorecard shows that medical schools are moving towards stronger conflict-of-interest standards and that the Scorecard is an increasingly accepted assessment tool.”

Virtual News Conference  

On Wednesday, December 15th at 11 a.m. EST/8 a.m. PST, AMSA will host a virtual news conference to review the results of the 2010 AMSA PharmFree Scorecard:

Call-In Number:                
(661) 673-8600

Participant Passcode:        
914227#

For more information or to schedule an interview with AMSA, Pew or a local medical student, please contact: press(at)amsascorecard(dot)org.

About the American Medical Student Association
Celebrating its 60th Anniversary, 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 atwww.amsa.org/.

AMSA’s PharmFree Campaign, which began in 2001, guides medical students in organizing to advocate for evidence-based rather than marketing-based prescribing practices, the removal of conflicts of interest and global access to essential medicines. AMSA provides toolkits, talks and training institutes to help medical students advance these goals. For more information, please visitwww.pharmfree.org.

About the Pew Health Group
The Pew Health Group is the health and consumer-product safety arm of The Pew Charitable Trusts, a nonprofit organization that applies a rigorous, analytical approach to improve public policy, inform the public and stimulate civic life. For more information, please visitwww.prescriptionproject.org.


# # #

Media Contact:
Kim Cunningham
American Medical Student Association
Phone: (781) 223-4042
Email: pr@amsa.org

**Happy Holidays
See the last few posts for a Cookie Exchange Party.
Also: FREE SHAKLEE MEMBERSHIP -A $19.95 Value FOR 15% off ALL  Shaklee Products FROM NOW ON. OFFER GOOD  through December for ordering $70 of product, MN Member Price.

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On Prostate Cancer, Placebos & Apathy

RE: August 26th posting from:
THE NOTMILK NEWSLETTER:
SUBSCRIBE: send an empty Email to-
notmilk-subscribe@yahoogroups.com

I follow Robert Cohen’s comments and researched articles on his Notmilk Yahoo forum. I am infuriated at the many men who have become prostate cancer victims, given money-making cancer-to-lymph-node spreading biopsies, radium seeds, radiation, etc. in a growing business. The AMA/Pharma symbiotic parasites have not only managed to gain government support for their profit schemes, they squash all other natural help and voices simultaneously through Codex and the corrupt FDA. Eventually their kingdom will topple. Meanwhile, too many men drinking hormone-laden dairy, set up for Candida by drugs and diet, and predisposed for prostate problems by age and culture, stay unaware of products with antioxidants to bring down PSA in 6 weeks, protect against DNA cellular damage, others that build the body’s immune system, and PREVENT and HEAL.

Below are my comments RE: Aug. 26th 2009 Notmilk Posting:

Interesting how this Pharma posting is in sync with my own thoughts this morning. How has this monster called the AMA, and Pharmaceutical companies been allowed to erode our personal freedoms, and good sense, until they euthanize people with their wares, and even work with our lawmakers to mandate some worthless, population-thinning vaccine? How have Americans gotten so apathetic, that they allow their family members to get on a Whitman's sampler of drugs, like Coumadin, a rat poison, to 'thin' their blood, to 'avoid' clots? How has the ADA gotten away with putting flouride in the white fillings, and mercury in the amalgams for so long? There isn't anything else offered at my dentist. And ....shopping at the grocery store with irradiated, GMO, processed, adulterated, DDT-imported food is truly an experience of the frog being boiled in the pot, one degree at a time. The pink ribbons to support the 'War' on breast cancer is a naive symbol of a complacent society. I personally am very angry at the money made on a duped and poisoned public. We have had to settle for what is least harmful to purchase, while our air and water quality produce chemical combos for genetic warp. Ever gone down the cleaning aisle at the grocery store? The off-gassing combos are 'unknowns'.

I already knew that sexual abuse had gone unchecked, and our prison populations had become quite the business, the legacy for our children marred beyond words, and debt has gone wild with the political wars set up by inside jobs like 9-11 and other greed.

Many people think of fleeing our nation, as it is corrupt in all facets, from religion to government to our apathetic, overweight anti-depressant, non-exercising, television-surfing waste of time Pepsi/Coke sappy 'war'-advertising osteoporosis-producing Ativan-popping, what's-wrong-with-being-unavailable to our families and neighbors w/ alcohol and pot-smoking public.

Our whole nation has become a 'placebo' of 'not doing anything'. Or so it seems. Or is it the ant and grasshopper scenario? Thank Goodness for the few ants like www.projectcamelot.org and Mr. Cohen's relentless information war with one corrupt industry. Where is the voice of the people, or is it too late for Lemmingsville?

*Rant not apologized for.

Have a better day. Pamela
www.leangreencafe.blogspot.com