Sunshine Laws and the Pharmaceutical Industry
- Troyen A. Brennan, MD, MPH;
- Michelle M. Mello, M Phil, PhD, JD
- Author Affiliations: Aetna Inc, Hartford, Conn (Dr Brennan); and Department of Health Policy and Management, Harvard School of Public Health, Boston, Mass (Dr Mello).
- Corresponding Author: Troyen A. Brennan, MD, MPH, Aetna Inc, 151 Farmington Ave, RC5A, Hartford, CT 06156 (brennant{at}aetna.com).
Since this article does not have an abstract, we have provided the first 150 words of the full text.
Recent research would suggest that the US public should be pleased with the role the pharmaceutical industry plays in advancing public health. Somewhat surprisingly, given widespread concerns about the cost-inflating effects of drugs and other medical technologies, Cutler and colleagues have shown that spending on medical technology is generally cost-effective.1-3 This is particularly true of new drugs, which often have contributed to stunning decreases in morbidity and mortality—for example, in cardiovascular disease.4-5 It appears that the huge investments needed to bring new drugs and medical devices to market are wise.
So why is there so much dissatisfaction with the pharmaceutical industry today?6 The answer appears to lie in its reliance on a distinctive model of marketing. The mainstay of the marketing effort has been a combination of advertisements to physicians, direct visits to physicians by pharmaceutical sales representatives, and a variety of gifts …
