Conflicts of Interest on Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committees at Academic Medical Centers

Abstract

Dear Editors, Pharmacy and Therapeutics (P&T) committees' decisions should ideally be guided by objective patient and institution centered factors including comparative efficacy and cost–benefit analysis [1]. However, the potential for institutional and personal conflicts of interest (COI) among committee members may have undue and adverse influence on the decision-making process. The focus on this issue is highlighted in the American Medical Student Association (www.amsascorecard.org) review of COI at Academic Medical Centers (AMC). In this initial survey, we sought to determine the mechanisms by which COI are defined and managed by P&T committees at AMCs. Our goal was to provide an overview of the practices to inform further investigation.