Gli studenti di medicina sono influenzati dalla promozione dell’industria farmaceutica?

Summary. The pharmaceutical and medical devices industry provides one of the main sources of scientific information for physicians. The impact of this kind of information on physicians’ prescribing behavior has been extensively studied. Available evidence consistently shows that prescription habits are affected by industry-driven scientific research data. This questionable influence has an impact also on medical students, residents, and doctors in training. Recent studies have shown that a frequent contact with industry representatives is inversely related to the knowledge of the foundations of evidence-based medicine and directly related to a higher use of brand-name prescription drugs. Several American universities decided to prohibit any relationships between students and industry representatives. It would be desirable that such policies be adopted by other institutions. In addition, the practical guide published by the World Health Organization “Understanding and Responding to Pharmaceutical Promotion” should be better known and used.