Reading Room
Welcome. Below you will find our growing collection of readings relevant to the NPA's mission.
NH prescription privacy law upheld
A federal appeals court on Tuesday upheld the constitutionality of New Hampshire's first-in-the-nation law that restricts drug company access to some information about doctors' prescription writing habits.
-- Associated Press, Nov 18, 2008
Senators Hurry to Keep Health Care in Forefront
Two of the Senate's most influential leaders are working separately behind the scenes on legislation that would dramatically alter the way Americans get health care...
-- Washington Post, Nov. 12, 2008
Insurers entice doctors to prescribe generic drugs
Health insurance companies invited physicians to hear a pitch about the benefits of prescribing generic drugs instead of their pricier, name-brand competitors. Meet the flip side of a concern about corporate influence in the doctor's office....
-- Houston Chronicle, Oct 30, 2008
Inquirey re: Financial Contributions From Medical Device Makers
Sens. Grassley (R-IA) & Kohl (D-WI) sent letters to the Cardiovascular Research Foundation and Columbia University seeking financial disclosures & other info regarding their relationships with manufacturers of pharmaceutical drugs and medical devices...
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, Oct 17, 2008
Child Warning Added to Cold Remedies
Manufacturers of pediatric cough and cold medicines announced Tuesday that they would voluntarily change their products’ labels to say that they should not be used in children under age 4....
-- NYT October 8, 2008
Medicare Stops Paying for 10 Reasonably Preventable Medical Errors
Medicare starting Wednesday will no longer pay hospitals for additional care resulting from "reasonably preventable" errors....
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, Oct 1, 2008
Medical Community Takes Steps To Prevent Pharmaceutical Industry Influence Amid Recent Criticism
Some major universities have begun to examine their policies on funds that they receive from pharmaceutical companies amid criticism from Senate Finance Committee ranking member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa)....
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, Sept. 11, 2008
National Medical Associations Join Together to Host Voter Registration Drives Across Country
The American Medical Student Association (AMSA), the National Physicians Alliance (NPA) and the National Association of Community Health Centers (NACHC) launches the RxVote Campaign, a national voter registration effort....
-- Medical New Today (9/3/08)
Stanford University To Limit Pharmaceutical Industry Financing of Continuing Medical Education
Stanford University officials on Tuesday plan to announce a new policy under which pharmaceutical and medical device companies no longer will have the ability to select continuing medical education courses that they seek to finance for physicians....
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, August 26, 2008
FDA Strengthens Policy on Screening Advisers for Conflicts of Interest
Under the new guidelines, medical experts with more than a $50,000 financial interest in companies cannot serve on advisory committees that review their products or the products of their competitors....
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, August 5, 2008
Curbs eyed for sales of W.Va. info to drug makers
With a national study calling West Virginia the most medicated state in the nation, some lawmakers are questioning the sale of information about state patients and doctors to the pharmaceutical industry.
-- CNN Money, July 29, 2008
Drug Industry to Announce Revised Code on Marketing
The pens, pads, mugs and other gifts that drug makers have long showered on doctors will be banned from pharmaceutical marketing campaigns under a voluntary guideline that the industry is expected to announce Thursday.
-- NYT, July 10, 2008
NPR Series Examines Health Care Systems in Five European Nations
NPR, in series titled "Health Care for All," recently examined the health care systems in five European nations, which have lower health care costs than the U.S. and provide a higher quality of care on several measures. Links available.
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, July 10, 2008
NEJM Editorial: "Why Doctors Should Worry about Preemption"
A leading drug company may be poised to win a landmark legal victory next fall. If...Wyeth, prevails in a case soon to be argued before the U.S. Supreme Court ... drug companies could effectively be immunized against state-level tort litigation....
-- NEJM, July 3, 2008
Medicaid reaches more in Maryland
Maryland is patching together expanded coverage for the low-income uninsured
-- Baltimore Sun, July 1 2008
Key opinion leaders: independent experts or drug representatives in disguise?
The pharmaceutical industry routinely taps well-paid and highly respected doctors to act as sales people for their medications, according to an investigation published in the British Medical Journal last week.
-- British Medical Journal, June 21, 2008
Report Finds 32% Increase in Drug Industry Lobbying Spending in 2007
The pharmaceutical industry spent $168 million on lobbying in 2007, a 32% increase over the previous year, according to a report released Tuesday by the Center for Public Integrity....
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, June 25, 2008
Report Issued on Probe Into Improper Payment Disclosures by Three Harvard Psychiatrists
Three well-known psychiatric researchers from Harvard Medical School may have violated federal and educational institution regulations by failing to properly disclose drug industry payments and other conflicts of interest....
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, June 9, 2008
Survey of Medical Schools Is Critical of Perks
Most medical schools in the United States fail to police adequately the money, gifts and free drug samples that pharmaceutical companies routinely shower on doctors and trainees, according to a ranking by the American Medical Student Association.
-- NYT, June 3, 2008
Bill would let pharmacies sell medical records
Pharmacies in California would be allowed to sell confidential patient prescription information to third-party marketing firms working for drug companies under a bill expected to be voted on Thursday by the state Senate.
-- San Francisco Chronicle, May 28, 2008