Fewer doctors taking freebies from drug companies

Fewer doctors report accepting drug samples, gifts, meals and all-expenses-paid trips from drug companies, according to a new study published Monday that comes amid mounting concerns over the potential for conflicts of interest in medical practice.

Still, arrangements between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry continue to be common; 84 percent of physicians reported some type of tie with drug companies in 2009, compared with 94 percent in 2004.