Med school ethics in question

Last week the Daily reported on the state of ethics at the University's medical school, and what it found was disappointing. Citing the American Medical Student Association's 2008 PharmFree scorecard, the school received a "D" owing to the inadequacy of policies addressing "gifts, education, and student/faculty interaction with industry representatives ."

A similar report issued by the American Association of Medical Colleges Task Force on Industry Funding of Medical Education recommended the establishment of "effective and principled" partnerships by prohibiting faculty and students from receiving gifts from industry representatives . Now that these recommendations are known, the question is not if the University ought to follow them, but will it?

The most likely reason that the University would not change policy is the most obvious one: money. Between the shrinking pool of research dollars available from the National Institutes of Health a nd the appeal of additional personal revenue, so-called "consulting fees" and "study payments" become appealing alternatives. With the University's hunger to be a top-flight research institution, this may seem to be yet another means to that end. But perpetuating or ignoring conflict of interest in the medical school is absolutely unacceptable. Conflicts of interest gave rise to the pharmaceutical disaster of Vioxx, and have recently come around again in the investigations of drugs like Zyprexa and Avandia. It cannot be in the best interest of the University to cultivate a reputation of training and employing physicians who take industry kickbacks and produce dubious, industry-manipulated research.

Fortunately, we are not at that point yet. The 2008 AMSA report is only the second one of its kind, and the conclusions reached by the AAMC task force are a new development as well. Although forswearing industry benefits will be a difficult habit to break, it will not be disadvantageous. There are already eight schools, including UPenn and UCLA (the third and ninth best medical research institutions according to U.S. News and World Report), that have earned an "A" from AMSA. Our medical school has the power to make the grade as well. We challenge the University to do just that.