We heard about this at my wife's last CME. and the first person I thought about was JP. I'll certainly miss some of the good meals.

The updated PhRMA Code, which was announced on July 10, features several marketing restrictions, including limiting meals provided to health care professionals; imposing stricter protocols for speaking and consulting arrangements with health care professionals; and banning giveaways of so-called "reminder" items with drug company logos such as pens and cups.

Yeah, Michael, but is it The Law or just an ethical guideline?

If it's just an ethical guideline I guess the free lunches will continue But after speaking with some of the reps. it sounds like some of the big drug companies are going to implement the guideline. Well Tom, JP can always visit you again for some free lunches.

Lots of buzz over gifts to doctors and also over industry-funded CME lately, but my understanding is that meals can be provided for the purposes of detailing doctors on products, e.g. if there is pertinent discussion of the drugs. My lunches are safe.

Various swag like pens, notepads, paperweights, etc are now verboten, and that's fine with me, I guess. Although there's lots of other industries that will continue to be able to advertise with pens, so there's all sides to this issue.

Will keep you posted on this important news ...

Anybody wishing to slog through the actual code can do so here: PhRMA code update, July 2008 (.pdf file).

In sum, looks like the changes are not that big a deal.

Voluntary industry-wide guideline. Most companies sign on to PhRMA codes.

Pens are cheaper than lunches. Yay, you!

Indeed. Well put, as usual.