The Vermont House has given preliminary approval to legislation that calls for greater disclosure of the financial relationship between pharmaceutical companies and physicians.
Backers of the bill think the proposal will help reduce health care costs in the future.
VPRs Bob Kinzel reports.
(Kinzel) Vermont currently has one of the toughest drug marketing disclosure laws in the country – this bill makes the law even tougher.
Current law requires pharmaceutical companies to reveal how much money they spend to market their new drugs to Vermont physicians. Last year almost $3 million was spent in the form of speaker fees, meals and other gifts.
While the law details the amount of money the companies spend, it doesn’t specifically identify the physicians who receive the money.
Backers of the bill say this needs to be changed, because last year, one Vermont doctor got $112,000 from several drug companies and another received $15,000 in meal reimbursements.
Wilmington Rep. Ann Manwaring:
(Manwaring) "Limitations on gifts and increased transparency are expected to save money for Vermont consumers of health care. It will save money for Vermont businesses who pay for health care and it will save money for the state by reducing the promotion of expensive prescription drugs, biological products and medical devices. Additionally, your Health Care committee heard testimony that the public wants to know — the extent of the relationship between pharmaceutical detailers and their doctors’ prescribing habits."
The legislation also calls for the public disclosure of free drug samples that are sent to individual physicians.
Pittsford Rep. Peg Flory said she was worried that this provision could end up reducing the availability of these samples to lower income Vermonters:
(Flory) "I’m real uncomfortable having on the Internet physicians’ names, addresses and what drugs they have received. I’m real uncomfortable with the idea that it may have an unintended consequence."
The legislation is scheduled to come for final approval in the House on Wednesday.
For VPR News I’m Bob Kinzel in Montpelier.