Today’s Good News: Sunshine On Drug Companies Brings Changes
The AP (via Common Dreams) tips the hat to a Minnesota law that exposes “the big money drug companies spend on members of state advisory panels who help select which drugs are used in Medicaid programs for the poor and disabled.” Since big donations were disclosed, Minnesota began considering a conflict-of-interest policy. Other states are doing even more.An Associated Press review of records in Minnesota found that a doctor and a pharmacist on the eight-member state panel simultaneously got big checks - more than $350,000 to one - from pharmaceutical companies for speaking about their products.The two members said the money did not influence their work on the panel, and the lack of recorded votes in meeting minutes makes it difficult to track any link between the payments and policy. Interestingly, Lilly spokesman Phil Belt said one of the panel members, who took money from the company, voted against two of their products. So even though the panel doesn’t track votes, Lilly seems to know what they are.
Nevada bars anyone from serving on its Pharmacy and Therapeutics Committee who is in any way paid by or affiliated with a corporation that makes prescription drugs. In Idaho, committee members can be fired on the spot for failing to disclose a conflict of interest.
See the whole story here.
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