Relationships between health professionals and the pharmaceutical industry : achieving a balance

Abstract

Health professionals and the pharmaceutical and medical-device industry have had a long and often problematic relationship. The interaction between for-profit companies trying to promote and market their products and the prescribers of those products has come under increasing scrutiny. Most of the current regulation is from the industry’s side; health professionals and professional medical associations are taking much longer to disentangle themselves from this often unethical relationship.