Internal Medicine Physicians' Financial Relationships with Industry: An Updated National Estimate.

The article offers information on the financial relationships between physicians and prescription drug or medical device manufacturers remain controversial. It mentions such relationships are associated with prescription of brand-name drugs, especially those sold by the sponsoring manufacturer, over equally effective lower-cost generics; and also mentions free samples of drug are used as a marketing tool and have been linked to prescribing of high-cost brand-name drugs.