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Public Health & Policy > Military Medicine
Drug and Device Industry Spent $10 Million on Trips for Military Staff
by Emily P. Walker, Washington Correspondent, MedPage Today June 15, 2009
MedpageToday
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WASHINGTON, June 15 -- The drug and device industry spent more than $10 million on trips for military physicians, pharmacists and others who determine how the Department of Defense (DOD) spends its $6 billion drug budget, according to an investigation by the Center for Public Integrity and Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism.
The medical industry paid for a larger chunk of travel than any other group, including foreign governments. It funded about 40% of all non-Federal sponsored travel, amounting to 8,700 trips from 1998 to 2007, the group reported.
The biggest pharmaceutical sponsor was Johnson & Johnson, which funded 187 trips to destinations that included San Diego, Germany and Vail, Colo.
In one extreme case, Minneapolis-based Medtronic sponsored at least 15 trips worth $13,000 for a military surgeon who, according to an Army investigation, overstated the benefits of Infuse, a Medtronic drug it uses to treat combat-related bone injuries.
The New York Times reported that the Army investigation found the surgeon falsified information and forged signatures of colleagues as co-authors on articles in a British medical journal.
Medtronic sponsored 97 trips for cardiologists, neurosurgeons, and nurses, among others, to conferences and seminars, mostly in the U.S.
It's not illegal for outside groups to pay for government officials to travel, but critics argue that the relationships could make a physician more likely to favor a brand of drug or device if its manufacturer paid for travel to popular or exotic travel destinations.
The investigation by the Center for Public Integrity (CPI) indicated that drug companies had a special interest in military pharmacists.
The medical industry paid $400,000 for more than 400 trips for the DOD's pharmacy employees. The investigation also found that from 2000 to 2006, the DOD prescription drug budget ballooned from $1.6 billion to more than $6 billion a year, according to the analysis.
"Such undue influence could potentially be a health catastrophe for our military personnel," according to a public interest group called "Stop Corporate Immunity."
Cynthia O. Smith, a DOD spokeswoman, said the department can accept travel from non-Federal groups or businesses to attend meetings or conferences. The meetings need not be "widely attended," and covered expenses can include food, lodging, and transportation.
All travel has to be approved by the Department's employee ethics counselor, and no payments can be accepted if the main purpose of the meeting is to market a product or service, Smith said.
"Travel is in the interest of the government," she said.
A spokesperson for Johnson & Johnson said paying for travel for DOD physicians for meetings on the company's medical devices is necessary for safety.
"We follow strict industry and company compliance standards, and we reimburse such instructors for travel, lodging, and meal expenses," said Bill Price, senior director of corporate communication for Johnson & Johnson.
"Under current industry standards, meetings with surgeons should be held in locations that are conducive to the exchange of information, and the use of resort locations for training would not be considered appropriate," he said.
A call to Medtronic was not returned.
The Institute of Medicine recently called on physicians to stop accepting all gifts and meals from drug companies, even if they cost as little as $25. (See IOM Takes Aim at Physician-Industry Ties)
Sens. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) and Herb Kohl, (D-Wisc.) are the sponsors of a bill that would require drug companies and medical device manufacturers to publicly disclose all gifts given to doctors valued at more than $100.
Center for Public Integrity
Source Reference: Pell MB, Mehta A "Medical Industry Showers DOD with Free Travel" CPI 2009.