Combatting PharmaPhobia: Conflict-of-Interest Myth Busting!

PharmaGuy interviews Thomas P. Stossel, M.D., visiting scholar at the American Enterprise Institute for Public Policy Research, about his new book, PharmaPhobia, and his call to action against the "Conflict of Interest Movement."

In PHARMAPHOBIA: How the Conflict of Interest Myth Undermines American Medical Innovation (Rowman & Littlefield, April 2015), Tom Stossel describes how an ideological crusade, stretching over the last quarter century, has used distortion and flawed logic to make medical innovation even harder in a misguided pursuit of theoretical professional purity.

Questions/Topics of Discussion

1. What is the "conflict-of-interest myth" (you also refer to the "conflict-of-interest movement" and the "conflict-of-interest narrative")?
2. What regulations have been adopted as a result of this conflict-of-interest narrative?
3. Are there legitimate conflict-of-interest concerns that should be addressed by policymakers?
4. How have bureaucrats, reporters, politicians, and lawyers benefitted by attacking the medical products industry?
5. What solutions and reforms do you advocate?