Oversight of marketing relationships between physicians and the drug and device industry: a comparative study

Throughout the world, complex mutually-dependent relationships exist between physicians and pharmaceutical and medical device companies. This article focuses on one particular aspect of these relationships-payments made by drug and device companies to physicians and their organizations and institutions to market drugs and devices. It is widely believed that drug and device company marketing to physicians creates conflicts of interest that corrupt physician judgment and increase the cost of medical care. This article examines first the economic basis of physician/industry relationships that causes conflicts to arise. It next considers the measures that a number of developed countries have taken to respond to these relationships. Finally, it proposes an approach that would comprehensively address the problems caused by drug and device company marketing to physicians.