Kohl, Durbin Investigate AMA Program Allowing Doctors To Opt-Out Of Having Prescribing Data Sold To Drug Companies, USA

Main Category: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Also Included In: Primary Care / General Practice;  Regulatory Affairs / Drug Approvals
Article Date: 30 Apr 2008 - 2:00 PDT

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Senator Herb Kohl (D-WI), Chairman of the Special Committee on Aging, and Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), Assistant Majority Leader, sent a letter yesterday to the American Medical Association (AMA) to inquire about a program allowing physicians to opt-out of having their prescribing data sold to pharmaceutical companies. Widespread reports indicate that most marketing of prescription drugs to physicians is based on data-mining, a process by which drug companies develop sales strategies by matching doctors' prescribing data purchased from pharmacies with prescriber numbers purchased from the AMA. Specifically, the letter asked for information related to the AMA's Physician Data Restriction Program (PDRP), which allows doctors to protect their prescribing information. The letter requested information regarding the type of outreach AMA conducts to physicians to educate them about the program, the number of physicians who currently participate, and how the AMA ensures that pharmaceutical companies are appropriately responding to and adhering to the PDRP.

"To say the least, we are troubled by any attempt to persuade physicians to prescribe a drug for any reason other than the patient's condition and the drug's effectiveness in treating it. Without question, it is very important for physicians to be able to protect the privacy of their prescriber numbers and prescribing patterns," the letter states. Pharmaceutical sales representatives are currently one of the most common ways doctors learn about new drugs on the market. However, the industry's educational outreach is essentially a marketing program, and evidence shows that doctors' prescribing patterns can be influenced by pharmaceutical marketing.

In March, Kohl held a hearing to consider an alternative to the current prevailing practice of doctors receiving the latest information on new drugs from the drug manufacturers themselves. Kohl and Durbin plan to introduce a bill this spring to create a federal academic detailing program, which would provide physicians and other prescribers with an objective source of unbiased information on all prescription drugs, based on sound scientific research.

The proposed legislation would create a grant program to fund the production of educational materials for doctors on the safety, effectiveness, and cost of prescription drugs, including generic and over-the-counter alternatives. The policy would also create a second grant program to dispatch trained medical professionals (such as pharmacists, nurses, and other health care professionals) into physicians' offices to distribute the extensively researched and independent information. Because academic detailing lowers healthcare costs for the government, the bill is expected to pay for itself.

Last June, Kohl held a hearing examining the relationships between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry. Following the hearing, Chairman Kohl and Finance Committee Ranking Member Charles Grassley (R-IA) introduced the Physician Payment Sunshine Act (S.2029) to require manufacturers of pharmaceutical drugs, medical devices, and biologics to disclose the amount of money they give to doctors through payments, gifts, honoraria, travel and other means. The drug industry has challenged the Grassley-Kohl bill, claiming that the legislation will potentially restrict their ability to inform doctors about new drugs. The academic detailing legislation under consideration by Kohl and Durbin addresses this charge.

A link to the letter can be found here.

Special Committee on Aging
Senator Herb Kohl, Chair
http://www.aging.senate.gov