A new report has revealed that thousands of Texas doctors and medical experts, including more than 100 employed by the state itself, routinely supplement their salaries with money paid by drug companies. Between 2009 and early 2011, more than 25,000 Texas doctors and researchers received a combined total of at least $57 million.
Dozens of medical professionals were paid more than $100,000 each.
The New York Times reports:
“... [T]he financial relationships raise questions about the influence of drug companies on prescribing patterns or research results. ... [E]fforts at transparency vary widely depending on the institution, or may be nonexistent when there is no institution at all.”