Healthy Skepticism Library item: 12336

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: news

D.C. Council Passes SafeRx Act: Groundbreaking Legislation Targets Safety of Prescription Drug Marketing in the District of Columbia
PharmaLive 2008 Jan 8
http://pharmalive.com/news/index.cfm?articleID=504827&categoryid=9&newsletter=1

Full text:

Today, the D.C. Council voted 7-6 to pass the “SafeRx Act of 2007.” (“SafeRx”) The measure will protect District of Columbia residents from several potentially harmful prescription drug marketing practices. Among other things, the legislation will require the licensure of pharmaceutical representatives and prohibit them from providing knowingly false information to physicians.

“Today is a great day for patients and seniors,” said Councilmember David Catania (At-Large), Chairman of the Committee on Health. “The District will lead the nation in the regulation of false and misleading advertising of prescription drugs.”

Pharmaceutical representatives, called “detailers,” account for a large share of the marketing costs of prescription drugs. Some estimate that there are currently 100,000 detailers peddling drugs today. Detailers have been known to resort to questionable methods, including providing gifts and meals to doctors, in order promote their drugs. This has the potential to influence doctors’ prescribing decisions in ways that have little to do with the best interest of the patient. SafeRx will require detailers doing business in the District to be licensed and held to a professional code of conduct. Those who violate these standards will be fined and could have their license revoked. The bill will also require detailers to have an appropriate educational background.

“Detailers have come to play a huge role in our healthcare system, and it is time to start treating them as healthcare providers,” said Catania. “The current system promotes the use of the latest, most expensive drugs at the expense of the best, most effective ones. This is a major problem for our overall healthcare system”

In addition to regulating detailers, SafeRx creates an academic detailing program to educate doctors on the latest developments in pharmaceutical research. Finally, the bill prohibits members of the District’s Medical Advisory Committees from receiving gifts from pharmaceutical companies.