Few French medical schools have formally adopted any conflict of interest policies, a new analysis finds, despite a law requiring faculty members to disclose financial ties and a scandal a decade ago that cast a harsh spotlight on the influence of drug makers on prescribing practices and regulators.
None of the 37 medical schools examined had official policies governing conflicts, and just two had what were described as informal polices, since these were not available in writing or on school websites, according to the analysis, which was published earlier this month PLOS One. Nine schools, meanwhile, offered related courses or policies, but were not well-defined.
In addition, there were no restrictions reported on student contacts with sales reps, faculty member honoraria or other industry contracts, or direct industry funding. And only one school reported any policies prohibiting industry sponsorship of educational activities on-site or direct institutional funding from industry, according to one of the authors.
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