Governor Patrick of Massachusetts signed a bill limiting gifts to doctors and requiring disclosure of most drug company payments to physicians (gifts over $50 made to a healthcare professional to be publicly reported on the state's Web site). Click here for coverage, and here for the official press release.
NEJM article reviews the harms and extent of industry payments to physicians, the "hodge-podge" of attempts to ensure that all payments are publicly disclosed, and the specifications of the new Physician Payments Sunshine Act.
Court documents have revealed Eli Lilly trained its sales force to downplay the risks of weight gain and diabetes for Zyprexa and encourage doctors to prescribe the drug beyond approved uses for schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, according to Bloomberg.com.
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