Conflict Addiction

Conflict Alleged in Drug Firms’ Education Role | WP | 6.27.07

Drug companies have become the biggest sponsors of continuing medical education courses in recent years, even at the nation’s top medical schools, a development that critics say raises health-care costs, skews doctors’ treatment decisions and allows the industry to skirt laws against advertising “off-label” uses for its products.

Now, nearly two-thirds of the cost of continuing education courses sponsored by medical schools, popular for their prestige, are paid for by drug and medical device companies and other commercial interests, figures show. Overall, commercial sponsors pick up about half of the $2.25 billion annual cost of the courses doctors must attend to keep their licenses.

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