Newsroom RX

• Pfizer ends commercial funding of CME 07/03/2008

  This week, Pfizer announced that it will stop funding physician continuing medical education through medical education and communication companies (MECCs), effective immediately. According to the company’s press release, the move is meant to curb conflicts of interest engendered by industry funded CME.

  The drug giant says it will continue to provide CME through academic medical centers and professional medical societies.

  For more, check out:

  Pharmalot

  WSJ Health Blog

• Survey finds Americans want to know about physician payments 06/18/2008

  A majority of Americans (64%) want to know about their physicians’ financial ties to pharmaceutical companies, and 68% would support legislation requiring pharmaceutical companies to disclose of gifts and payments to physicians, according to a survey released today by the Prescription Project. The poll also found that Americans disapprove of many types of gifts and payments to physicians.

  Press Release

  Survey Results

• AMSA, RxP release PharmFree Scorecard 06/03/2008

  Most of the 150 U.S. medical schools are failing when it comes to building strong conflict of interest policies to limit pharmaceutical marketing on campus, according to the American Medical Student Association (AMSA) PharmFree Scorecard released today. Only seven institutions received 'A's for their conflict of interest policies.

  “The schools that earned ‘A’ and ‘B’ scores are to be commended for setting a high bar and aggressively moving forward to ensure medical education, training and patient care is free of commercial bias,” says RxP executive director Robert Restuccia. “While we still have a long way to go, we are optimistic that the growing momentum for reform will change the landscape and there will be great improvement next year.”

  To check out the Scorecard, go to www.amsascorecard.org

   

• The data dos and don'ts for Medicaid: a fact sheet 05/12/2008

  The Prescription Project has released a fact sheet for Medicaid departments, consumers, advocates, policymakers on Medicaid prescription data mining.  While forbidden by CMS policy, there is at least one known case of a state Medicaid department selling prescription information to private companies. 

  The fact sheet summarizes how Medicaid prescription data may be legally used, clarifies how policymakers can protect it, and outlines the impact of data mining on public health, health care costs and patient privacy. 

• West Virginia legislator, RxP discuss med school gifts with Gazette 05/09/2008

  West Virginia state Sen. Dan Foster talked with The Charleston Gazette this week about  steps the state has taken the ones it could to cut out conflicts of interest from medical education and prescribing.

  "Clearly, prescription drugs have great positive impact," Foster told the Gazette.  "But we need to restore proper balance in terms of how people get information and how physicians make their decision in what they prescribe."

  Both Foster and RxP member Marcia Hams were in Charleston for a meeting of the National Legislative Association to Reduce Drug Prices.