Drug and medical device companies regularly use Continuing Medical Education as a way to promote off-label uses for their products

Industry sponsorship of CME has come under increasing fire in recent years.

Drug companies can use their sponsorship of CME to increase market share and maximize their return on investment, Lewis Morris, chief counsel for the Office of Inspector General in the Department of Health and Human Services, said at a U.S. Senate hearing last year.

In his testimony, Morris cited a study showing that every dollar spent by a drug company on doctor education activities generated $3.56 in increased revenue.