The consumer advocacy group Public Citizen is urging the nation's accrediting body for graduate medical education programs to ban pharmaceutical industry sponsorship of medical education programs.

In a letter to Dr. David Leach, executive director of the Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME), Public Citizens asserts that drug company sponsorship of medical education programs for doctors and residents (doctors in training) poses "a new threat to objective, unbiased physician and resident education."

According to Dr. Leach, the council's executive board plans to discuss the issue at its September meeting.

Public Citizen describes drug company sponsorship of medical education service companies, which directly provide the programs to medical personnel, as "a newer and more insidious twist on the long-standing practice of direct drug company sponsorship of such medical education activities."

They are suggesting to prohibit drugmakers from providing any educational activities for medical residents. It believes that the ban should cover grand rounds, conferences, and dinner meetings as well as print materials such as textbooks and reprints.

Pharmaceutical manufacturers say that such educational services are an important way to transfer information to busy doctors.