AAMC Endorses Bill Requiring Public Disclosure Of Drug Industry Payments To Doctors

Main Category: Pharma Industry / Biotech Industry
Also Included In: Medical Devices
Article Date: 22 May 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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AAMC President and CEO Darrell G. Kirch, M.D., issued the following statement, endorsing the Senate-proposed, amended version of the "Physician Payments Sunshine Act" (S. 2029):

"We applaud Senators Grassley and Kohl for introducing this important legislation requiring drug and medical device manufacturers to disclose their payments to physicians, with limited exceptions. The "Physician Payments Sunshine Act" is another step in promoting transparency in the relationships between academia and industry and will help maintain the public's trust in the medical and research enterprise.

In order to fully realize the benefits of biomedical research and ensure continued advances in the prevention, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, effective and principled partnerships between academic medical centers and the drug and medical device industries are essential. Ethical and appropriate management of these relationships is critical to protect patients' welfare, medical and scientific integrity, and-when government funding is involved-to promote public accountability and responsible stewardship of federal resources.

The AAMC appreciates the leadership of Senators Grassley and Kohl on this crucial issue, as well as the efforts of Senators Kennedy, Klobuchar, McCaskill, Schumer, and Clinton, who cosponsored the legislation."

Editor's note: The "Physician Payments Sunshine Act" (S. 2029) will require drug, device, or medical supply manufacturers that receive federal payments (through Medicare, Medicaid, or the State Children's Health Insurance Program) to disclose anything of value given to doctors, such as payments, gifts, honoraria, or travel. These companies would be required to submit information to the Department of Health and Human Services on a quarterly basis. To read a copy of a letter from Dr. Kirch to Sen. Grassley in support of the legislation, go here. (PDF, 1 page).

The Association of American Medical Colleges is a not-for-profit association representing all 129 accredited U.S. and 17 accredited Canadian medical schools; nearly 400 major teaching hospitals and health systems, including 68 Department of Veterans Affairs medical centers; and 94 academic and scientific societies. Through these institutions and organizations, the AAMC represents 109,000 faculty members, 67,000 medical students, and 104,000 resident physicians. Additional information about the AAMC and U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals is available at http://www.aamc.org/newsroom.

Association of American Medical Colleges