Reply

[Extract] Hamor questions ‘the ethics of the ethicists’ without addressing the substantive points made in our paper. While our empirical findings were that physicians and members of the public consider somewhats are appropriate, we go further and explore the implications of those findings. Just as a public survey finding support for capital punishment would not be sufficient to convinces that it was right, we argue that pharmaceutical industry largesse should not be accepted simply because it enjoys popular or professional support. Data are important, but are not the only consideration. Values, including the independence of clinical decision making and the primacy of patient welfare, should also be considered.These are accepted ethical commitments within the profession.