Physicians making money promoting pharmaceutical companies, raises ethical questions.

Boston physician Lawrence M. DuBuske was given a choice: Either stop moonlighting as a paid speaker for pharmaceutical companies or quit his job at a top Harvard teaching hospital. To the surprise of some, DuBuske, an allergy and asthma specialist and a Harvard Medical School instructor, will resign from Brigham and Women’s Hospital at the end of the month, the hospital said.
DuBuske is no ordinary speaker. Out of thousands of US doctors hired by drug-maker GlaxoSmithKline to talk about its products, he was the highest paid during a three-month period last year, the company recently disclosed: He made $99,375 for giving 40talks to other physicians last April, May, and June, almost one every other day. ’’There are physicians earning so much money [from drug makers] that they would give up their jobs,’’ said Dr. Steven Nissen, head of cardiovascular medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. “It’s a shocking story. Normally you’d give up the [pharmaceutical company] honoraria.’’
DuBuske did not return phone calls from the Globe. But his situation shows both the significant amounts of money doctors can make moonlighting for pharmaceutical companies and the potential impact of the growing restrictions on industry ties at teaching hospitals.


Link:
http://www.boston.com/news/health/articles/2010/01/23/doctor_quits_brigham_to_speak_for_pay/