Our Views

One new development in Washington this week clearly shows that we’re not alone in our call for Big Pharma reforms.

Republican Sens. Chuck Grassley and Herb Kohl have introduced a bill that requires drug and medical device makers to report to the federal government the value of free services, and almost every penny, they provide to doctors. Anything over $25 would have to be reported quarterly and would be posted on a government website for all to see.

For several months, Congress has been looking into the millions of dollars that flow from Big Pharma (and smaller pharmaceutical makers too) to America’s physicians, for everything from speaking engagements and consulting fees to golf weekends, travel and free meals.

There is some question about how, or even if, this practice influences what drugs doctors prescribe, because this seriously affects health care costs. The price of a cheap generic vs. an expensive brand drug, times the billions of prescriptions written every year, makes a huge difference in the health care bottom line.

In our view, there’s absolutely no doubt that Big Pharma’s physician bribery program sways prescribing practices. If it wasn’t working, Big Pharma wouldn’t keep on shelling out the millions of dollars to doctors. According to reports, some individual doctors have actually been paid hundreds of thousands a year in such gifts or fees-for-services.

The practice also raises the fear of potential patient harm from being prescribed drugs they might not need, or that may not be exactly what is needed.

Said Sen. Kohl, the bill’s co-sponsor, “At our June hearing, the pharmaceutical industry told the Aging Committee that they believe their practices are above-board. If that is the case, full disclosure will only serve to prove them right. If that is not the case, full disclosure will bring their influence-peddling out from the shadows. Either way, patients win.”

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