Fairfax, Va. - The American Society for Radiation Oncology (ASTRO) has adopted a new code developed by the Council for Medical Specialty Societies (CMSS) providing detailed guidance to medical groups like ASTRO on appropriate interactions with for-profit companies in the healthcare sector. This new code is designed to ensure that ASTRO's dealings with companies are independent and transparent and to advance medical care for the benefit of patients. CMSS represents 32 leading medical societies including ASTRO, with a collective membership of more than 650,000 U.S. physicians.

"ASTRO is committed to encouraging and supporting a culture of integrity, voluntary self-regulation and transparency, and that's why I am proud of our work with colleagues through CMSS to develop this new code," Laura I. Thevenot, ASTRO CEO, said. "ASTRO had already adopted similar provisions over the course
of the last five years including leadership standards, which apply to members of the Board of Directors, journal editors and major committee chairs, as well as other policies in place for appropriate guideline development and creation of industry satellite symposia. The code also includes provisions for disclosure that we will be working to implement."


The code includes seven core principles and detailed guidance on implementation. The principles cover the following key areas:

- Conflicts of Interest: Develop and publicly post policies and procedures to disclose and manage conflicts of interest among those who participate in society activities, such as meetings and clinical guidelines.
- Financial Disclosure: Publicly disclose donations and support received from for-profit companies and disclose board members' financial and uncompensated relationships with companies.
- Independent Program Development: Develop and make publicly available policies and procedures that ensure that educational programs, advocacy positions and research grants are developed independent of industry supporters.
- Independent Leadership: Prohibit society leaders, such as presidents, CEOs and journal editors-in-chief, from having direct financial relationships with relevant for-profit companies.

The CMSS code was developed by a 30-member task force consisted of the leaders of medical societies. So far, 20 medical societies including ASTRO have formally adopted the code and committed to fully implementing it. The full code and the list of original signers who have adopted it thus far are available on the CMSS Web site at www.cmss.org/codeofconduct.

ASTRO is the largest radiation oncology society in the world, with more than 10,000 members who specialize in treating patients with radiation therapies. As the leading organization in radiation oncology, biology and physics, the Society is dedicated to improving patient care through education, clinical practice, advancement of science and advocacy. For more information on radiation therapy, visit www.rtanswers.org. To learn more about ASTRO, visit www.astro.org.

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