Stanford University School of Medicine will no longer accept support from pharmaceutical companies for specific programmes in continuing medical education (CME).

Stanford will only accept financial support if it is for broad areas, such as disease prevention or diagnostic technologies, rather than for specific courses, which can be subject to commercial influence.

Dean Philip Pizzo said, “I do not think that the quality of CME will be harmed, but I do believe that the integrity of our educational programs and their freedom from any bias will be better achieved with these new policies.”

Between 1998 and 2006, pharmaceutical and medical-device industries’ funding of educational activities has risen from $302m (£150m) to $1.2bn (£600m).

Stanford may now seek funds from private foundations to support the new CME approach. They are one of the few American medical schools to enact such restrictions. This follows a policy review led by Robert Jackler, the medical school’s associate dean for CME.

“I do not believe that the concern about funding should cause us to compromise on the value of the programs we seek to provide,” Pizzo said. “They need to be based on the best science and strongest evidence, and not on whether or not there will be funding to support them.”

CME programmes are a legal requirement for physicians in the US to ensure they stay abreast of developments in their fields.