APA dice: Basta ya...

An increased focus on transparency means an end to pharmaceutical industry support for American Psychiatric Association (APA) symposia.

The APA Board of Trustees voted to stop accepting industry funding for continuing medical education symposia and to eliminate industry funded meals from its annual meeting, according to an APA release.

The move puts the APA at the forefront of the trend to increase transparency and reduce potential financial conflicts of interest, according to the release.

“There is a perception that accepting meals provided by pharmaceutical companies may have a subtle influence on doctors’ prescribing habits,” said James H. Scully Jr., M.D., the APA’s Medical Director and CEO.

“While industry-funded meals used to be normal operating procedure at medical meetings, a sea change is currently underway in how we manage industry relationships,” he said.

“What was acceptable five years ago isn’t necessarily acceptable today. Change is necessary, and the APA wants to stay at the forefront of a new and better way of doing things.”

Mas...