Healthy Skepticism Library item: 17831

Warning: This library includes all items relevant to health product marketing that we are aware of regardless of quality. Often we do not agree with all or part of the contents.

Publication type: Electronic Source

Silverman E
A Program To Educate Docs About Rx Promotion
Pharmalot 2010 May 25
http://www.pharmalot.com/2010/05/a-new-program-to-educate-docs-about-rx-promotion/

Full text:

A special committee of state Attorneys General is getting ready to launch a new program that would educate physicians about the impact of industry promotion and marketing, and also establish procedures at academic medical centers and teaching hospitals to train “prescribers-in-training” about evidence-based medicine in hopes of creating an environment free of conflicts of interest.
To make this happen, there are requests for proposals for grants to create such programs and the deadline is June 3. The grants are the result of the 2004 settlement between Warner-Lambert, which is owned by Pfizer, and 50 states to settle charges of off-label marketing of Neurontin. The deal included a $21 million provision to create the Consumer and Prescriber Education Grant Program, whiich will be administered by the special committee, according to this court order. The committee includes attorneys general from Florida, New York, Ohio, Oregon, Texas, and Vermont, and two rotating members, currently Illinois and Massachusetts.
Up to $12 million is expected to be awarded. This is actually the third round of grantmaking for the program. The first and second rounds funded grants to provide prescribers and consumers with
info about prescription drugs, focusing on the way drugs are marketed and appropriate prescribing. A total of 29 grants worth $15 million were awarded. You can read more about the application process here.