Etyczne standardy relacji pomiędzy lekarzami a firmami farmaceutycznymi w Stanach Zjednoczonych
Abstract
This paper attempts an overview on the ethical issues of pharmaceutical industry gift-giving in
the United States of America. The article shows that law is not the only way in which the relationship
between physicians and pharmaceutical industry can be regulated.
Most important professional associations of physicians, pharmacists, residents etc. consider
industry gifts as a conflict of interest. They created different ethical guidelines for this complicated
issue.
The paper demonstrates various solutions of ethical matters in the relationship between physicians
and pharmaceutical industry by analyzing codes and guidelines of different associations. On the one
hand it shows organizations which allow exchanging of gifts of no value. On the other hand it presents
associations that forbid physicians accepting even a pen. The article also shows various attitudes of
these associations to situations like inviting physicians to dinner, accepting drug samples, taking
subsidies from the company to defray the cost of the conference etc.
The problem of those relations has been neglected for long time. From society’s point of view it is
important for physicians to be informed about the rules and ways that pharmaceutical companies try to
influence physicians’ prescription habits.
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