Morning Briefing
Summaries of health policy coverage from major news organizations
Drug And Device Makers Paid $6.5B To Doctors, Hospitals In 2014
Drug and medical-device makers paid $6.49 billion to U.S. doctors and teaching hospitals during 2014, according to the federal government鈥檚 first full-year accounting of the breadth of industry financial ties with medical providers. The tally comprises company payments to more than 600,000 doctors and 1,100 hospitals for services such as consulting, research and promotional speeches about drugs, as well as the value of free meals provided to doctors by sales reps pitching products. (Loftus and Walker, 6/30)
From research dollars to free lunches and junkets, drug and medical device companies paid doctors and leading hospitals nearly $6.5 billion last year, according to government data posted Tuesday. The latest update to the Open Payments database is part of an ongoing effort to highlight potential conflicts of interest in medicine. Unlike last year's initial version of the database, this one is much easier to use for consumers interested in looking up their own doctors. (6/30)
Holly Campbell, a spokeswoman for PhRMA, the nation's top drug lobby, defended the payments, saying they include funding of important clinical trials and facilitate feedback from doctors to companies about their products. 鈥淐ollaboration between physicians and biopharmaceutical professionals is critical to improving the health and quality of life of patients,鈥 she said in a statement. (Sullivan, 6/30)
Here's an up-close look at the payments directed to Maryland hospitals and physicians -
Maryland's hospitals and doctors took in more than $7.6 million in payments for research, speeches and other work from drug and device manufacturers in 2014, according to federal authorities who have been releasing payment data periodically. The money is a share of about $6.5 billion in funds paid to U.S. hospitals from 1,444 companies, data supplied by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services shows. (Cohn, 6/30)
In other drug industry news -
The feds argue that Novartis violated the False Claims Act by using different plans, including rebates, to induce specialty pharmacies to boost prescriptions for two drugs: the Myfortic treatment for kidney transplants and Exjade, a medicine used for reducing excess iron in patients who undergo blood transfusions. (Silverman, 6/30)
