Bill would make drug firms disclose gifts to doctors

Gifts of more than $25 would be reported. Drug samples would be exempt.

By Dave Hansen, AMNews staff. Oct. 1, 2007.

Washington -- Gifts to physicians such as free lunches from drug and medical device reps soon could be listed on a national database so patients can evaluate whether money might be affecting their doctors' prescribing.

The bipartisan Physician Payments Sunshine Act, introduced Sept. 6 in the Senate, would require drug and medical device manufacturers with $100 million or more in annual gross revenues to disclose names and office addresses of every doctor who gets a gift valued at more than $25. Drug samples and funding for clinical trials would be exempt. Failure to comply would trigger fines of up to $100,000 per violation.

"Whether it's dinner at a restaurant or tens of thousands of dollars or more in fees and travel, patients shouldn't be in the dark about whether their doctors are getting money from drug and device makers," said bill sponsor Sen. Chuck Grassley (R, Iowa), the top Republican on the Senate Finance Committee.

The American Medical Association has not adopted a policy on the legislation. The AMA's ethical guidelines prohibit doctors from accepting any gift of substantial value or with conditions attached. All gifts must primarily benefit patients or be related to a physician's work.

The bill won't change prescribing patterns but would hasten compliance with the AMA code, said Maine Medical Assn. Vice President Gordon H. Smith. "No physician wants to be seen as having received value from a pharmaceutical company and then prescribing their drugs," he stated.