According to a Prescription Project survey, a majority of Americans (64%) say that it is important to know their physician’s financial ties to pharmaceutical companies and 68% would support legislation requiring pharmaceutical companies to disclose gifts to doctors. The survey showed that most Americans disapprove of even small gifts to physicians and believe that the pharmaceutical industry has a large influence over prescribing decisions.
The pharmaceutical industry spends more than $20 billion annually marketing to physicians, much of that marketing in the form of free gifts – ranging from pens and meals to pharmaceutical samples and continuing medical education classes.
Survey Highlights
- 52% of Americans believe that accepting gifts from the pharmaceutical industry influences how physicians make prescribing decisions (saying that the impact is either extremely large or large); another 26% believe these gifts have a moderate influence.
- Respondents tend to disapprove of most gifts to physicians:
- 86% believe free dinners should not be allowed
- 80% believe speaking fees should not be allowed
- 78% believe free lunches at the office should not be allowed
- 70% believe free note pads and pens should not be allowed
- 62% believe free attendance at mandatory continue medical education classes should not be allowed
- 64% believe it important to know physician’s financial ties to pharmaceutical companies. (fig 1)
- 68% would support legislation requiring pharmaceutical companies to publicly disclose any gifts or payments given to physicians. (fig 2)
- 62% support legislation that makes it easier to tell how much money and gifts a doctor receives from pharmaceutical companies
- 71% would support legislation that enables clinical experts to provide unbiased noncommercial information about drugs to physicians in their offices
The survey was conducted by the national firm ICR during June 4, 2008 – June 8, 2008; 1009 adults from across the United States responded. To view survey results, please visit www.prescriptionproject.org.
"The legislation requiring public disclosure of the financial relationships between healthcare vendors and physicians has been widely discussed in policy circles for years. Critics claimed payments for speaking, consulting, research or even the small trinkets and meals delivered during routine sales calls unduly influenced physician choices and inflated healthcare costs. To combat those effects, Congress required public reporting of those payments in a publicly accessible database. The legislation, labeled the Physician Payment Sunshine Act, was included in the 2010 healthcare reform law."
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Prescription project director Danny Carlat identifies issues with the Physician Payments Sunshine Act requiring further clarification and guidance. Addressing those would ensure that manufacturers can appropriately implement the final rule, and enable consumers to benefit from transparency reports published by the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services.
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The Pew Charitable Trusts is working to decrease the influence of pharmaceutical marketing on doctors’ practices. With a three-year grant from the Attorney General Consumer and Prescriber Education Grant Program, Pew is collaborating several partners to improve conflict-of-interest policies within the 158 medical schools and 400 major teaching hospitals in the United States.
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The Pew Charitable Trusts appreciates this opportunity to submit comments to CMS's "Information Collection Activities" draft guidance. We suggest that both the research and non-research payment templates be modified in order to make it easier for consumers to identify which drugs, devices, biologicals, or medical supplies are associated with particular transfers of value.
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On Feb. 1, 2013, the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services published the final rule guiding implementation of the Physician Payments Sunshine Act, which Congress passed as part of the Affordable Care Act in March 2010 to increase transparency in the relationships between physicians and drug and medical device makers. Here are some of the highlights.
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