No product endorsements, ghostwriting under U of M ethics proposal

It is a shame that the U did not see fit to let the U community see this draft before submitting it to the Board of Regents.

It is also interesting that the focus has been broadened from the medical school to the whole university.

A committee that worked for two years on medical school conflict of interest and made twenty pages of suggestions saw their work reduced to two pages. This latest policy seems to obfuscate things even more. Perhaps this was the intent?

Cursory inspection indicates that this policy does not prevent the distribution by Pharma of a book to medical students (because this is considered "educational") as noted in a recent article in the University of Minnesota Daily. This does not seem to be in accord with the PharmFree program of the Student American Medical Association. Nor does linking - on a course web site - to a textbook with a pharmaceutical promotion at the beginning of every chapter. The support of so-called continuing medical education (CME) also needs to be totally decoupled from Pharma.

Unless this happens, it appears that the economic interests of the U will continue to supersede the ethical ones.

Ethics at the U of M? Preposterous, I tell you!

If ghost writing is refering to having graduate students do all the work and have professors sign their name to it, I doubt it will be enforced. Too much of a cultural change.

Does that conflict of interest extend to the athletics department? It should since those kids aren't receiving revenue from shoe contracts but the coaches certainly do. Or maybe the contracts should be modified so that the athletic department receives the product endorsement funds excluding the coach.
Seriously, a million+ per year contract is more than enough for a basketball coach.