Drug Company Payments to Doctors Must Be Revealed

Under new Federal guidelines, drug companies will soon be required to reveal payments to doctors. According to an investigation by The New York Times, about two-thirds of all U.S. physicians accept dinners for themselves or lunch for their staffs. Approximately 25 percent of doctors actually get financial payments from drug and device manufacturers.
There is concern that such financial relationships alter the practice of medicine because they create a conflict of interest. The reports of payments were scheduled to start last fall, but the public now has until mid-February to comment on the proposals. Under the rules, drug companies will be fined for failing to report payments and corporate leadership may be liable if they knowingly sign off on false reports. The Congressional Budget Office hopes that such transparency will eventually reduce over prescribing and excessive spending.
[New York Times, Jan. 16, 2012]