End Fatigue

Is the AMA Hooked on Drugs?

Think the AMA will protect you from drugs (Big Pharma)? Think again.

Even though the AMA's own ethics committee recommended a ban on drug company support of medical education for physicians, and the past President of the Association of American Medical Colleges (AAMC) condemned most medical continuing education at its annual meeting last week, the AMA in effect rejected its own ethical council's call to ban drug company support of medical education. This means that most medical education will continue to be drug company advertising masquerading as educational activities—without your doctor even knowing it.

Seems like ethics are important—unless there is money to be made.

Meanwhile, in a survey of over 1,000 physicians, 2/3 were OK with drug companies paying for their conferences (i.e., deciding what doctors will hear about). It seems that health care reform will not come from within our current medical institutions, but will rather have to come from the public sector.

Meanwhile, we will continue to be your advocate, and will let you know what the science and research shows—instead of simply mouthing the drug companies' most recent promotional materials.

Click here and here for two additional sources of information.