In a recent article from the St. Paul Pioneer Press (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57348681/drug-company-money-on-rise-for -2-minn-clinics/), the University of Minnesota and the Mayo Clinic came under public scrutiny after it was revealed that they received a combined $650,000 in 2010. Gifts have always been a sensitive topic in the medical industry. Various articles have been written on the topic exploring its advantages and disadvantages. But the tug of war between ethics and the effects of consumerism is yet to be seen in the position of medical institutions and healthcare professionals. In 2008, Fortune 500 magazine reported the pharmaceutical industry as one of the three most profitable industries in America. This should not be surprising as there will always be illnesses and diseases and as a necessary consequence there will be patients who will need medicine for these illnesses. “It is a profitable industry that uses different strategies to earn revenue.” said James Rhee, professor in the Department of Physician Assistant Studies at Eastern Virginia Medical School, when he described the field in his article in the Internet Journal of Academic Physician Assistants (http://www.ispub.com/journal/the - internet-journal-of-academic-medical-assistants/volume-7-number-1/the-influence-of-the-pharmaceutical-industry-on Healthcare-practitioners-prescribing-habits.html). Business is business for these big pharma companies and they employ marketing techniques that will ensure their profitability. To realize these benefits, pharmaceutical companies employ variations on the tried-and-true gift-giving theme. IS GIVING GIFTS APPROPRIATE? As early as 2003, Harvard's Arnold Relman... middle of paper... addressed conflict of interest issues, key strategically placed individuals such as the director of the University of Minnesota's Office of Institutional Compliance, Lynn Zentner, said this: “An unmanaged conflict is a problem,” “Having a conflict of interest is not.”# # #Works Cited (http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57348681/drug-company- money-on-rise-for-2-minn-clinics/), (http://www .ispub.com/journal/the-internet-journal-of-academic-medical-assistants/volume-7-number-1 /the-influence-of-the-pharmaceutical-industry-on Healthcare-practitioners-prescribing-habits.html),(http://www.bmj.com/content/326/7400/1189.extract),(http: //www.twincities.com/ci_19619583?source=pkg),http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/45796673/ns/technology_and_science-science/t/drug-company-money-rise-minn-clinics /#.TwFJtDX9Mlc)