The ethics of consulting with pharmaceutical companies

Acting as a speaker or consultant to the pharmaceutical industry, while adding to a physician's recognition and income, serves a vital role in graduate and postgraduate medical education. Such activities work, especially when one becomes involved with several different companies or organizations, can expose the speaker and researcher to a number of potential ethical conflicts. These include publication and prescribing bias. These also lead to the real or apparent conflict of interest when the consultant receives unearned, unjustified, or excessive compensation and gifts.