Harvard Toughens Conflict Policy

The 11,000 professors who work at Harvard Medical School will no longer be allowed to give promotional talks or take gifts or meals paid for by drug makers and medical manufacturers. Docs will also have to report—and publicly post online—any money earned from consulting deals or serving on industry boards if they make more than $5,000. “We’re anxious to be viewed publicly as doing what’s in the best interest of our patients,’’ one official said. Harvard and other leading medical schools have drawn a great deal of attention lately over questions surrounding the relationships between doctors and pharmaceutical companies. Sen. Charles Grassley, Republican of Iowa, investigated a few Harvard physicians to see if they violated conflict-of-interest rules. Said Grassley, "Greater disclosure is a foundation for more accountability."