A new Vermont law restricting the drug industry's use of data on doctors' drug prescribing habits is facing a federal lawsuit and a new round of scrutiny.
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The law, which was amended in the waning days of last year's legislative session after a federal court struck down a similar measure in New Hampshire, contains several provisions aimed at slowing cost increases for prescription drugs.
One target of the measure was companies that gather information on which drugs doctors prescribe most often and then sell that information to pharmaceutical companies. The information allows the drug companies to develop sophisticated sales pitches, called "detailing," to entice doctors to switch to their medications, said Julie Brill, an assistant attorney general who worked on the legislation.
Brill called the so-called "data.m.ining" restrictions "one piece of a larger effort by the state to ensure that marketing that goes on with respect to pharmaceutical products is appropriate and ... also to protect the privacy concerns prescribers have."
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Friday, January 18, 2008
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