Drugmaker code defines gifts to docs as industry faces probes

Doctors can still get free samples of medicines, though not football tickets or lunch for their spouses, under a revised code of conduct drafted by a global drug industry trade group. The new rules clarify the differences between gifts, promotional aids and items such as anatomical models that can be used in medical practice, the International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers & Associations said today in a statement. The federation’s member companies will be required to adopt the new guidelines and provide related training to their 1.3 million employees, the group said.