Competing interests of professional societies

Spence highlights the vested interests of the huge “pain industry” following the revelation of the sum paid to the American Pain Society by Endo Pharmaceuticals.1

The US Institute of Medicine2 has asked congress to require US companies to report payments not only to doctors but also to healthcare institutions, providers of continuing medical education, patient advocacy groups, and, interestingly, “professional societies.” It recommends voluntary reporting until congress acts.

The institute also raised concerns about clinical practice guidelines, where “the risk …