New rules regarding drug company freebies

[JDCitizen]

I hope I got the link address correct:

Pharmaceutical industry to make new rules regarding drug company freebies

http://www.foxnews.com/video2/video08.html?maven_referralObject=2713062&maven_referralPlaylistId=&sRevUrl=http://www.foxnews.com/photoessay/0,4644,4672,00.html

[VivaRN]

I have heard about this. It appears that the industry is trying to appear to police itself to avoid external regulation. Looking at the literature, though, I agree with the guy who said these policies have no teeth.

Even if they change the gifts they give, the fact that they still give gifts will continue to influence prescribing behavior. Research has shown that accepting even small gifts creates feelings of reciprocity that are not entirely rational. These policies are not sufficient to protect patient interests (reference below).

Brennan, T. et al. (2006). Health industry practices that create conflicts of interest: a policy proposal for academic medical centers. JAMA, 295(4), 429-433.