Ethical Issues in Physician-Pharmaceutical Industry Interactions

Physician education and the pharmaceutical industry.

I n the current issue of CHEST (see pages 1255 and 1257), two thoughtful leaders of the American College of Chest Physicians (ACCP) frame an issue that confronts most physicians today—the relationship between us, the physicians, and the medical products industry. This relationship connects those who sell medical products (pharmaceutical or technology) and those who prescribe the use of those pr...

Ethical Issues in the Big Data Industry

Ethical issues concerning the relationships between medical practitioners and the pharmaceutical industry.

Medical practitioners and the pharmaceutical industry serve interests that sometimes overlap and sometimes conflict. There is strong evidence that associations between industry and doctors influence the behaviour of the latter in relation to both clinical decision making and the conduct of research. In view of the risk of compromising relationships with patients and the integrity of the researc...

Ethical Issues Facing the Food Industry

The array of ethical issues facing the food industry is extensive. It includes fair and just treatment to food industry employees, especially as disproportionate numbers of minorities take jobs in food processing and food service. Issues of food distribution and hunger continue to be important. In the calendar year 1992, however, these issues pale in comparison to those raised by food safety an...

Physician-industry relations. Part 2: organizational issues.

This is part 2 of a 2-part paper on ethics and physician-industry relationships. Part 1 offers advice to individual physicians; part 2 gives recommendations to medical education providers and medical professional societies. Industry often sponsors programs for graduate and continuing medical education, as well as major events of medical professional societies. Industry is an abundant source of ...