Independent Drug Education and Outreach Act Re-Introduced
Several Congressman, including Senator Ted Kennedy, are renewing their efforts to change the way physicians receive information about new prescription drugs. Re-introduced in Bill form this month, the Independent Drug Education and Outreach Act would put an academic spin on the dissemination of drug information by providing grant money to organizations to produce educational materials on the safety, efficacy, and cost of prescription drugs. The grants could also be used to train staff to disseminate the educational materials to physicians. The idea behind the Bill is to to give physicians access to unbiased prescription drug information without having to rely on drug company sales reps. Importantly, grant recipients would be precluded from receiving any financial support from drug manufacturers whose products are under review. Senate Bill 767 can be read here.
