Vermont Bill Would Disclose Drugmaker-Doctor Payments : NPR

Pharmaceutical companies spend billions of dollars on marketing every year, and a big chunk of it goes directly to the doctors who prescribe their products to patients. Several states have decided to clamp down on these practices, requiring drug companies to disclose all gifts or payments to doctors.

The Vermont Legislature recently passed the strictest bill to date, and it is expected to become law next month. Vermont state Sen. Peter Shumlin, who sponsored the bill, says the state is trying to take a leadership role in what he calls a national problem.

Just in the state of Vermont, with its 600,000-plus citizens, the industry spent almost $3 million last year, Shumlin says. “So you can imagine if the problem is that large in Vermont, they’re spending hundreds and hundreds of millions of dollars undertaking this practice in states like California and New York.”

The Vermont legislation doesn’t preclude drug companies from spending their millions to influence physicians’ prescribing practices, he says.

But if they do, the state wants to ensure that Vermont’s consumers know exactly how much their doctor has profited and where the money came from. “We think the best way is pure transparency,” Shumlin says.

Read more at  Vermont Bill Would Disclose Drugmaker-Doctor Payments : NPR.