Financial payments from drug industry associated with physician prescribing

https://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2020-11/acop-fpf111720.php

 

News Release 23-Nov-2020
American College of Physicians

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A systematic review of published research found that financial payments from the drug industry to U.S. physicians was associated with increased prescribing of the paying drug company's drug. The association was consistent across all studies and several studies presented evidence that the association was not correlation, but causation, meaning the industry gifts caused physicians to prescribe differently. The findings are published in Annals of Internal Medicine.

Financial payments from the drug industry to physicians is common and an issue of concern. Payments include both cash (typically for consulting services or invited lectures) and in-kind gifts, such as meals. From 2015 to 2017, 67% of all U.S. physicians received payments. This proportion exceeded 80% in some specialties (medical oncology, orthopedic surgery, urology, and others), and in many specialties the dollar value of personal payments has increased in recent years.

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