New Hampshire became the first state to pass a law prohibiting pharmaceutical companies from collecting data on physician prescribing habits. The state's senate voted unanimously to support legislation sponsored by Rep. Cindy Rosenwald. The house has already passed the provision. New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch (D) must now sign the legislation for it to become law. The AARP and the New Hampshire Medical Society have both come out in support of the legislation.
Why is this important? New Hampshire's action could set the stage for similar laws across the country, something drug industry critics have argued could help put the doctor-pharma relationship back in its proper context. A spokesman for IMS Health, which runs a multi-billion dollar business built on supplying that data, stated, "We think making the information available has public good." And private good too, no doubt.
- read this article [1] from the New Hampshire Union Leader
Links:
[1] http://www.unionleader.com/article.aspx?headline=Senate+votes+to+restrict+sale+of+prescription+information&articleId=f05b373f-b3ab-40b0-8676-29abd0f41a91