Stock options, free meals, lecture fees – the pharmaceutical industry showers them all on department heads at some US medical schools.

Drug companies are big investors in medical research and post-qualification training for doctors. Now a survey by Eric Campbell of Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston and his colleagues has put figures on the industry’s involvement.

Nearly two-thirds of heads of department from 140 medical school and teaching hospitals said they had some relationship with industry. Over a quarter acted as paid consultants and 1 in 10 sat on a board of directors. Five of the 459 heads reported receiving gifts …