If only this idea would spread to Capitol Hill!

[Guest guest]

From: healthiernews.com

A bill that's picking up a healthy steam

Some weeks ago, I reported to you about a stance adopted by the District of Columbia Council regarding the influence of pharmaceutical reps. The bill, known as SafeRx, passed what is considered its first test--even if it was by the very skin of its teeth. Again, this bill would make D.C. the first jurisdiction in the country to require drug representatives to be licensed. This would require a little work on the part of those drug reps: having a college degree and a notarized signature of an industry code of ethics. But what must be even more disconcerting for drug companies, the reps wouldn't be able to give gifts to doctors. Also, drug reps wouldn't be able to use statistical tools that enable them to know what types of drugs are prescribed by area. Prior, this data was used to target doctors based on their prescribing history. Now the drug reps will have to rely on these doctors to pony up those stats of their own free will. Another interesting piece of this bill calls for doctors to maintain a policy of openness about the drugs they're prescribing. If a drug has not yet been authorized by the FDA--doctors will be required to advise their patients of that little tidbit. As it stands now (and I've written about this before), there are multiple drugs in use by patients who may be under the impression that because their doctor has been prescribing them, those drugs are perfectly safe. An open, full disclosure policy would go a long way toward protecting patients first and foremost--ahead of the fat profits and year-end bonuses of the drug companies and their shareholders. The initial vote for this bill was seven to six, allowing it to advance to the next Council meeting. Let's hope it continues to chug along, setting a much-needed precedent for the rest of the country.