Reading Room
Welcome. Below you will find our growing collection of readings relevant to the NPA's mission.
US lawmakers examine Web postings in Vytorin probe
Anonymous messages posted on a Web site raise questions about the handling of data on a Merck & Co Inc and Schering-Plough Corp cholesterol drug, two U.S. House of Representatives Democrats said on Monday....
-- Reuters, Feb 14 2008
Lawmakers Introduce Universal Health Care Plan Modeled After Federal Employee Health Benefits Progra
Reps. Jim Langevin (D-R.I.) and Christopher Shays (R-CT) on Tuesday proposed legislation that would create a nationwide health insurance plan similar to the Federal Employee Health Benefits Program, available to all citizens and documented immigrants...
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, Feb 13 2008
Drug Industry Reconsiders Sales Tactics
While the prescription drug industry has long faced criticism from a handfull of lawmakers on Capitol Hill, it is now trying to fend off a more homegrown backlash from doctors and local governments across the country....
-- Houston Chronicle, Jan 28, 2008
More Hitting Cost Limit on Health Benefits
A small but growing number of American families beset by major medical problems are learning the hard way that simply having health insurance is sometimes not enough.
-- Washington Post, Jan 27, 2008
Building Up Docs' Marketing Resistance
Educational programs are training medical students on how to deal with drug company sales pitches....
-- Business Week, Jan 18, 2008
Minnesota Hospital Purges its Buildings of Drug Company Trinkets
When the SMDC Health System in Duluth purged almost all the pens, notepads, coffee mugs and other promotional trinkets drug companies had given its doctors over the years, it took 20 shopping carts to haul everything away....
-- Associated Press, Jan 18, 2008
3rd UPDATE: Vytorin Fails To Benefit Artery Vs. Statin Drug
An eagerly awaited study suggested Vytorin, the blockbuster cholesterol drug from Merck & Co. (MRK) and Schering-Plough Corp. (SGP), didn't provide any significant benefit vs. a statin drug....
-- CNN Money, Jan 14, 2008
Insured, Wealthier Patients More Likely To Receive No-Cost Prescription Drug Samples From Physicians
Wealthier, insured patients receive no-cost drug samples from physicians more often than lower-income patients, according to a study published on Wednesday in the American Journal of Public Health....
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, Jan 03, 2007
House Passes Medicare-SCHIP Legislation; President Bush Expected To Sign Bill, HHS Secretary Says
The House on Wednesday voted 411-3 to approve legislation (S 2499) that would delay for six months a 10% physician fee cut and extend SCHIP through March 2009....
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, Dec 20, 2007
Novartis Pilot Projects Will Shift Marketing Attention to Insurers, HMOs
Novartis officials on Thursday announced pilot projects in three states aimed at developing closer relations with health insurers and HMOs, which increasingly are influencing what medications physicians prescribe...
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, Dec 14, 2007
D.C. Effort to License Drug Sellers Advances
The D.C. Council voted 7 to 6 yesterday to give initial approval to legislation that would make the District the first jurisdiction in the country to license pharmaceutical sales representatives, a major blow to the prescription drug industry...
-- Washington Post, Dec 12, 2007
Study Finds Gaps Between Doctors' Standards and Actions
Physicians are among the most trusted professionals in America, but a new survey shows that when it comes to dealing with colleagues' mistakes or incompetence, many doctors abandon the high standards they espouse.
-- Washington Post, Dec 4 2007
Bad Medicine: Drug Companies Bribing Your Doctor?
More and more patients are questioning their confidence in their doctor's interests as they write prescriptions.... New policies in MA are poised to make a difference.
-- WBZ-TV Boston
States Plan To Limit SCHIP Enrollment Without Permanent Funding
Some states say that without "a stable source" of funding for SCHIP this year, they must start planning to freeze enrollment and possibly drop coverage for thousands of children....
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, Nov 26, 2007
Wall Street Journal Examines Physicians' Disclosure to Patients of Business Ties
The WSJ on Tuesday examined physicians' disclosure of business ties that might be considered conflicts of interest. According to the Journal, many "physicians don't volunteer information about financial relationships that might bear on treatment decisions.
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, Nov 20, 2007
Pharmaceutical Lobbying Stalls Legislation Intended To Prevent Delays of Generic Introductions
Legislation that would prevent brand-name drug companies from paying generic drug makers to delay market entry of generic medications "has stalled in Congress in the face of major lobbying by the drug industry....
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, Nov 13, 2007
Lawmakers Fail To Reach Agreement on SCHIP Legislations, Negotiations Continue
Lawmakers on Wednesday failed to reach an agreement on revisions to a bill that would reauthorize and expand SCHIP....
-- Kaiser Family Foundation, Nov 8, 2007
Int'l Survey: U.S. Adults Most Likely to Report Medical Errors and Skip Needed Care Due to Costs
A new Commonwealth Fund seven-nation survey finds that U.S. patients are more likely to report experiencing medical errors, to go without care because of costs, and to say that the health care system needs to be rebuilt completely.
-- Commonwealth Fund, 11/1/07
Groups Back Physician Gift Disclosure Measure
The American Medical Students Association (AMSA), the National Physicians Alliance (NPA) and the Prescription Project are supporting legislation that would require major pharmaceutical companies to disclose all gifts of $25 or more given to physicians.....
-- Congressional Quarterly, Oct 23 2007
Drug Companies' Ties to Schools Common
Nearly two-thirds of academic leaders surveyed at U.S. medical schools and teaching hospitals have financial ties to industry, illustrating how pervasive these relationships have become, researchers say.
-- Associated Press, Oct 16, 2007