A great idea, even if it does emanate from the desk of Chuck Grassley. Regardless as to whether doctors let massive pay-offs influence their practice or not; since the perception that there is a quid pro quo is so widespread, why not make the pay-offs transparent? The doctors should wear vests emblazoned with their sponsors, like a NASCAR team, or like the photographers on the sideline of NFL games.
Lawmaker Calls for Registry of Drug Firms Paying Doctors:
An influential Republican senator says he will propose legislation requiring a federal registry of payments made by drug makers to doctors.
The lawmaker, Charles E. Grassley of Iowa, the senior Republican on the Senate Finance Committee, cited as an example the case of a prominent child psychiatrist, who he said made $180,000 over just two years from the maker of an antipsychotic drug now widely prescribed for children.
especially in light of Big Pharma's opposition:
The drug industry opposes such registries, saying they would discourage doctors from receiving needed education. John Bentivoglio, a lawyer in Washington who represents drug makers, said the registries would be a burden for the companies and might be misinterpreted.“One of the concerns is that these payments are seen as bribes,” Mr. Bentivoglio said. “That’s not the case. The vast majority are lawful payments for services.”
So Mr. Bentivoglio is saying a minority (which means, less than half of the total) are bribes. How about lets make the whole system transparent, and then we won't have to wonder if our doctor is part of the majority or the minority.
Like this doctor:
Mr. Grassley said that he had asked how much the child psychiatrist, Dr. Melissa DelBello at the University of Cincinnati, made from AstraZeneca, the London-based drug giant that manufactures the antipsychotic Seroquel.Dr. DelBello’s studies of Seroquel in children have helped to fuel the widespread pediatric use of antipsychotic medicines. Those studies were inconclusive, but she has described them as demonstrating that Seroquel is effective in some children.
Asked in a past newspaper interview how much she was paid by AstraZeneca to help market Seroquel, she had said, “Trust me, I don’t make very much.” Mr. Grassley said this week that her disclosure forms at the University of Cincinnati show she received $100,000 from AstraZeneca in 2003 and $80,000 in 2004. Dr. DelBello consults for seven other drug makers as well.
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