• Small gifts are allowed as long as they benefit patients or are related to the doctor’s work. (A stethoscope would be OK, for example, but Red Sox tickets would not.)

• Free food is allowed as long as the meal is “modest” and similar to one a doctor might pay for on his or her own.

• Free drug samples are allowed.

• It is OK for drug and medical equipment companies to underwrite educational events, such as medical conferences, but individual doctors should not personally accept educational support and should not be reimbursed for travel, meals or other expenses for attending a conference or meeting.

Franklin Memorial Hospital, Farmington

Status: Recently tightened policy

• No gifts, large or small.

• No free food.

• Free drug samples allowed.

• No drug company money to subsidize the education of an individual doctor. Drug companies may pay for educational events only as long as the funding source is fully disclosed and as long as the speaker, not the drug company, chooses the content.

Central Maine Medical Center, Lewiston

Status: Not considering policy change.

• Small gifts allowed.

• Free food allowed

• Free drug samples allowed.

• Drug companies can sponsor educational events, but presenter must disclose any conflict of interest.

St. Mary’s Regional Medical Center, Lewiston

Status: Expected to discuss issue within the year. Currently follows general AMA guidelines.

• Small gifts allowed as long as they are used for patient care.

• Free lunches are allowed during education events, but marketing is not allowed and the meal can be worth no more than the doctor would normally pay.

• Free drug samples are allowed.

• Drug and medical equipment companies may pay for educational events, seminars and speakers, but the presentation itself must be neutral.

Maine Medical Center, Portland

Status: Considering stricter policy. Currently follows general AMA guidelines.

• Small gifts of “nominal value” allowed.

• Free food allowed

• Free drug samples allowed.

• Drug companies can sponsor educational events but can’t present or promote products during the event.

Eastern Maine Medical Center, Bangor

Status: Considering stricter policy. Currently follows general AMA guidelines.

• Small gifts allowed and they must be related to a doctor’s work

• Free food allowed within an educational presentation

• Free drug samples allowed

• Allows drug companies to sponsor educational events.

MaineGeneral Medical Center, Augusta and Waterville

Status: Considering stricter policy. Currently:

• Loose verbal policies left up to individual departments

Rumford Hospital

Status: Not considering change. Currently:

• No policy. Allows individual doctors to decide for themselves.

Stephens Memorial Hospital, Norway

Status: Not considering policy change. Currently:

• Prohibits staff from accepting vendor gifts “which may be construed as an attempt to influence purchasing decisions.”

• Medical library does not accept gifts or money for books from drug companies.

• Allows drug companies to sponsor speakers, but the medical staff is told where the funding came from. The drug company’s representatives are not allowed to attend the presentation, approach doctors or leave items for them.

Docs and reps

94: Percentage of surveyed doctors who had some kind of relationship with the pharmaceutical industry.

83: Percentage of doctors who received free food

78: Percentage of doctors who received free drug samples

35: Percentage of doctors who received reimbursements for the costs of attending professional meetings or educational programs

28: Percentage of doctors who received money for consulting, giving lectures or enrolling patients in drug trials.

Source: New England Journal of Medicine, April 2007

Industry marketing

Nearly $30 billion: Amount the pharmaceutical industry spent on marketing in 2005

Over $18 billion: Amount spent on drug samples

$6.7 billion: Amount spent on gifts and food

Source: The Prescription Project and PhRMA

Making medicine

$43 billion: Amount that PhRMA members spent in 2006 to develop new medicines

$55.2 billion: Amount spent industry-wide to develop new medicines in 2006

6.2 million: Number of patients who got help from a PhRMA drug company to pay for their prescriptions. (An estimated wholesale value of $3.3 billion)

Source: Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America, or PhRMA.