title: The ethics of accepting gifts from pharmaceutical companies.
abstract: How physicians respond to the promotional activities of the pharmaceutical industry is the subject of ongoing debate and controversy. This paper postulates that the acceptance of gifts in virtually any form violates fundamental duties of the physician of nonmaleficence, fidelity, justice, and self-improvement. The medical community must articulate this position clearly, and it should act accordingly.
authors.affiliation: Department of Maternal and Child Health, School of Public Health, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill 27599.
authors.forename: L H
authors.initials: LH
authors.lastname: Margolis
mesh_terms: D026686:Beneficence; D030881:Disclosure; D004345:Drug Industry; D028663:Ethical Theory; D004992:Ethics, Medical; D037921:Gift Giving; D006801:Humans; D008389:Marketing of Health Services; D035842:Research Subjects; D036302:Therapeutic Human Experimentation