Drug companies may be required to disclose payments made to doctors for the "Objective" Evaluation of their drugs
Senators Grassley and Kohl have sponsored a bill that would require drug companies and manufacturers of medical equipment to publicly disclose payments to physicians that exceed $500 per year.
In discussing the need for this legislation, Senator Grassley reported that drug companies are paying fees and expenses to physicians who are supposed to be objectively reviewing the effectiveness of medications.
Grassley explained that a physician had recently been paid in excess of a half a million dollars in fees and expenses by a major drug company during the time the physician was the lead physician on a study evaluating the company’s new drug.
Treating physicians must be able to rely on independent studies to make medical decisions regarding treatment. Even the suggestion of impropriety can have serious treatment implications. We hope Congress will implement this legislation in this new era of recapturing public trust.
