A.P.A.: "No More Free Lunches (or Symposia)" 

(March 25, 2009) — The American Psychiatric Association Board of Trustees has voted to phase out industry-supported symposia along with industry-supplied meals at its annual meetings.

With this move, the APA remains at the leading edge of a trend throughout medicine to increase transparency and reduce potential financial conflicts of interest. Symposia at major medical meetings that supply doctors with continuing medical education credits are sometimes funded by pharmaceutical companies, a practice that has invited a concern that the sessions may be biased in favor of the sponsoring company’s medications.

“Although we took great care to avoid biased reporting at all our symposia, we came to the conclusion that the only way to totally eliminate the risk is to have the symposia supported by the APA alone,” said Nada L. Stotland, M.D., M.P.H., president of the APA.  Click here for the APA's announcement.