Congress Considering Legislation That Would Create Academic Detailing Program for Prescription Drugs

Legislation (HR 6752, S 3396) recently introduced in the House and Senate would create a program to provide physicians with unbiased information about prescription drugs, CQ HealthBeat reports. The so-called "academic detailing" program is part of an effort by lawmakers to change the relationship between physicians and the pharmaceutical industry, according to Ashley Glacel, a spokesperson for Sen. Herb Kohl (D-Wis.), who introduced the Senate measure. Reps. Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Henry Waxman (D-Calif.) introduced the companion bill in the House.

Kohl in a release said that the current system of physicians getting information on drugs from pharmaceutical industry representatives is "fraught with conflicts of interest." The measure would give federal funding for prescription drug education that would be objective and unbiased. Pallone said it would give physicians the information required to "prescribe the most effective treatment to their patients."

Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America Senior Vice President Ken Johnson said "the view that physician prescribing is overwhelmingly determined by pharmaceutical company outreach is not accurate." Industry representatives said that other factors help guide physicians' prescribing, such as a patient's medical history, clinical guidelines and influence from peers. In addition, Johnson said that industry representatives must follow FDA regulations when promoting drugs and that the academic detailing programs would not be held to the same standards.

Glacel said that although time is limited this year for passage of the measures, they might be attached to other legislation. She also said that if the legislation is not passed this year, the lawmakers will pursue the bills again next year (Parnass, CQ HealthBeat, 8/5).

South Carolina Pilot Program
In related news, the South Carolina Department of Health and Human Services and the South Carolina College of Pharmacy have launched a pilot program that aims to educate physicians who treat Medicaid beneficiaries about the most cost-effective treatments, the Columbia State reports. Through the academic detailing program, pharmacists visit physician offices to give doctors research-based information that is not influenced by pharmaceutical companies. According to a 2007 review of 69 studies, even short, one-time interactions between pharmacists and physicians can improve patient care, with up to 6% of physicians changing how they practiced after such meetings.

Program Director Sarah Ball said, "If it is effective, the ultimate outcome will be better health care and improved cost-effectiveness." State officials do not know whether the program will reduce drug costs, but they do expect a savings in overall state health care costs.

The $2 million, two-year pilot project is staffed by four pharmacists who visit physicians in six counties that account for about one-third of the state's 625,000 Medicaid beneficiaries. The program began with the pharmacists visiting family physicians and psychiatrists, as psychiatric drugs account for more than 25% of Medicaid's drug costs. If effective, the program could be expanded statewide (Reid, Columbia State, 8/4).