By Raghav Chawla, BMJ

The first nationwide Pharmfree Day has been launched by The American Medical Student Association on 8 December 2004.

Doctors and students joined together on more than 34 campuses, urging their peers to resist aggressive marketing efforts by pharmaceutical companies. "Prescribing should be based on clinical evidence not on marketing strategies," Brian Palmer, president of the association, told the studentBMJ.

An event was held at New York University with speakers such as Gene Carbona, former regional manager for Merck, and Bob Goodman, founder of No Free Lunch, an organisation of healthcare providers devoted to combating the influence of pharmaceutical promotion on clinical practice.

Dr Carbona said Merck paid doctors up to $20 000 (£10 404; a15 062) for holding a speech designed to promote its drugs. "Just think about how you would feel if your patient asked you, 'Did you put me on Vioxx [rofecoxib] because you speak for Merck?' " he asked the audience.

Dr Goodman said students had the longest "prescribing life" and were key targets for pharmaceutical representatives. He suggested that all medical schools' curriculums should include education on pharmaceutical marketing practices.

Mr Palmer told the studentBMJ that drug companies spend $25bn a year--30% of their total revenues in the United States alone--to advertise their products, which significantly increases drug prices. "We're not against pharmaceutical companies," Kim Becker, the association's spokeswoman, added. "What we're saying is that... [the money] should [instead] go into the research and development."

"So far, no pharmaceutical companies have reacted to these happenings," Mr Palmer said. The studentBMJ repeatedly phoned up Pfizer's headquarters to get their viewpoint. Nobody was available for an official statement, however.

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