Senators Praise Growing Support for Transparency in Drug Industry Payments to Physicians

Press Release

SENATORS PRAISE GROWING SUPPORT FOR TRANSPARENCY IN DRUG INDUSTRY PAYMENTS TO PHYSICIANS

The newly announced backing of a leading drug maker for a national registry of industry payments to medical doctors indicates that transparency's time has come, according to Senators Chuck Grassley and Herb Kohl, co-authors of pending legislation to establish such a registry.

In an endorsement letter released today, Eli Lilly and Company said it supports "greater transparency in the health care system and believes this legislation represents an important step in building public trust in and understanding the relationships between the pharmaceutical and device industries and physicians." The Senators welcomed Eli Lilly's support for the initiative, as well as the recent endorsement of the effort by the Association of American Medical Colleges.

"Eli Lilly deserves credit for its endorsement of the Sunshine Act and the leadership role it is taking for greater transparency in the pharmaceutical industry. Eli Lilly has been posting online its payments to medical organizations and others. The company's forward-looking endorsement of legislation to require reporting of financial relationships between drug and device makers and physicians will be valuable in building more support for this important reform," Grassley said. "I also appreciate the persuasive and principled support of the Association of American Medical Colleges. Transparency brings about accountability and benefits everyone, consumers most of all."

"Eli Lilly's endorsement goes to show that transparency of the financial ties between doctors and drug makers is not only sensible, but do-able. So many sectors of the health industry are calling for it: physicians, medical schools, the Journal of the American Medical Association, and now a pharmaceutical company. We applaud Eli Lilly for endorsing transparency and hope the rest of the pharmaceutical industry follows their lead," Kohl said.

Last fall, Grassley and Kohl introduced the Physician Payments Sunshine Act (S.2029) in response to growing concerns about the lack of disclosure of these financial relationships. Grassley is working to include reform legislation in a Medicare bill which the Senate may consider before its August break.

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