Sponsored by the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) National Pharma Week is calling for medical schools to eliminate pharmaceutical marketing on their campuses.
Across the country thousands of students in the medical field will hold event to promote freeing campuses from the pharma influence. Events will include lobbying of Bill 2029, which would require disclosure of payments made to physicians by pharmaceutical companies, the University of Connecticut 
Medical Center announcing its new pharmaceutical policy and a symposium to provide better skills at choosing and prescribing.
According to the Journal of the American Medical Association 90% of the pharmaceutical industry's $21 billion marketing budget is geared towards doctors. Over 90,000 pharma reps visit doctors and provide enticements to prescribe not only more drugs but more expensive drugs.
“These marketing practices, including the growing number of “ask your doctor” commercials, has led to over-medicating of the U.S. population,” says Michael Ehlert, M.D., AMSA national president. “There is substantial evidence that marketing shapes physician prescribing habits. By eradicating pharmaceutical companies from all medical schools, hospitals and academic medical centers, physicians will be able to go back to practicing evidence-based medicine.”
Check out a PharmaGazette article that details some of the incentives and give aways that pharmaceuticals are using to influence doctors' choices in which medications they choose to prescribe: Pharma To Be Held Accountable For Give Aways?
For more information visit: National Pharma Free Week
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