UC Davis Tightens Rules on Industry Influence

Efforts to control the influence of the medical industry in academia received more support recently at the UC Davis medical school, whose dean sits on the Oversight Committee for the $3 billion California stem cell agency.

Reporter Dorsey Griffith of The Sacramento Bee wrote earlier this week:

"UC Davis' ban against drug industry gifts, lunches and samples has expanded to include a prohibition of freebies from any company that markets its wares to the large health system.

"University of California, Davis, officials Monday announced the expanded new policy, which took effect Sunday.

"'There was consensus that we really needed to make sure that all our policies ensure that our behavior is totally transparent and ethical,' said Dr. Claire Pomeroy, vice chancellor and dean of the UC Davis School of Medicine. 'I think it's consistent with our values here of really being focused on the patient.'"

Pomeroy is one of 29 members of the Oversight Committee, which has its own set of issues dealing with conflicts of interests.

Stanford and UCLA, whose medical school deans also sit on the Oversight Committee, have similar rules, along with Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Yale and the University of Pennsylvania.