Educational initiatives for medical and pharmacy students about drug promotion

Overview

Increasing attention is being paid to the relationship between health professionals and the pharmaceutical industry, and the role of drug promotion in prescribing, dispensing and drug use decisions.(Anon, 2001; Wazana, 2000) Education of medical and pharmacy students has a crucial role to play in preparing future practitioners to respond  appropriately to drug promotion and to ensure that their own interactions with the pharmaceutical industry meet a high ethical standard and are consistent with regulatory norms. This is the first study to examine the extent to which medical and pharmacy students are being educated about drug promotion.